


The fox and hounds

by Hebiaczek



Series: The Fox and Hounds [2]
Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Mild Language, Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-02
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2018-04-07 08:30:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 37
Words: 214,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4256463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hebiaczek/pseuds/Hebiaczek
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been already 2 years since Kaito picked up his fathers mantle. In time he had to sacrifice a lot of his civil life in order to make time for intensive training and preparations. This wasn't good for maintaining friendships and to make things worse his detectives started closing in on him. While the plot continues KID starts acting less and less like himself. Is it just stress hitting on him? Or is it something else? How would this end?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. (prelude) The heist

**Disclaimer: I don't own MK or DC, or any other manga/anime to be exact. I just like to let my imagination run loose :D**

_**Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the first chapter of this story.** _

**Story note: In this story KID is aware that Conan is Shinichi, but Spider and Rose don't exist.**

**Sorry for any mistakes - English is not my native language.**

_****So without further delay –** Enjoy!** _

* * *

 

Heiji was standing in the middle of a galery room with a bokken in his hands. Wearing comfortable and loose clothes with a jeweled necklace sewn in his shirt colar that was a target for tonights KID heist. His face was covered by a gas mask to prevent thief from using sleeping gas on him. He could clearly hear people outside cheering on their idol and drowned voices coming form an officers radio. To allow him to move freely only four officers were standing at the doors and all the decoration and stands where removed from the room leaving only a clock above entrance. Windows in the room where closed with iron blinds and as he was informed doors where closed shut with a metal bar from outside. To prevent blackout the place was lit with a few self-powered lamps. The nearly 4 meter high room felt very empty with it all. The corridor leading to the room was heavily guarded. Air vents in the entire building where too tight for and adult person to fit through. KID should not be able to even enter the room, right?

Nakamori-keibu was not happy with this plan. He still remembered fiasco with Makoto – the karate champion. This detective brat was by no means a champion of that caliber, but the owner of the jewel wanted it to be guarded with a sword - for heavens sakes! – and the boy was apparently the best to get in such a short notice. 'Damn American samurai fan…' keibu cursed in his mind. At least this time KID would not be able to trick his opponent by disguising himself as somebody familiar - to be sure he had a few officers guarding that Toyama Kazuha girl in another building. And of course he personaly pinched hard cheeks of each person that entered the room. Maybe actually they had a chance this time? Nakamori sight doubting.

Osakan detective had no idea how the elusive thief would enter but was eagerly waiting for his private meeting the infamous Kaitou KID. He'd get the opportunity to personaly beat the crap out of his friend's nemesis and afterwards he could get to rub it in Kudo's face. He let out a quiet chuckle when he remembered how Conan was banned from entering the room as he would only get in the way. Poor gradeschooler had to hope the thief would run away from Heiji with today's prize and catch him somewhere else. Like that would happen…

Officer at the door gave the detective a sign so he focused his eyes on the clock. Only one minute left for the heist to start. Teenage detective tightened his grip on his bokken and grinned. He is going to have so much fun bragging about his win after tonight.

Just a few more seconds – Heiji turned his gaze from the clock. _Three, two, one_ … There was a puff of white smoke before him. Detective took a step back from the cloud and focused on any movement from it. A soft voice reached his ears.

"Ah! A dance partner? How lovely…" tones of slight disappointment could be heard in the voice as he continued speaking "Although I usually do prefer them more feminine and in nice dresses but… you'll have to do…" the smoke started clearing a bit and Heiji could see a figure with a top hat on his head bowing gracefully before him "I'm honored Tantei-han" as the smoke was disappearing fast detective noticed a mocking, crocodile grin shown on the thiefs face.

"You're going down" irritated Heiji jumped forward at his opponent attacking head-on as KID easily sidestepped the assult.

Room suddenly was filled with music and the kaitou was moving according to it while evading detectives attacks. They seemed to be dancing indeed with one and other. They where moving fast though the room nearly trampling and preventing present officers from moving in. All they could do was to comment through their radios on what was happening.

The bizzare dance-fight was going on for a few minutes now and detective was yet to land a full blow on his opponent. He did manage to graze him a few times and was leading him now to a corner. He grinned behind his gas-mask. Once there KID will have nowhere to run Heiji will win.

When the thief bumped his back against the wall a few things happened at the same time. As Heiji raised his bokken to land his blow he noticed a large grin that split KID's face. There was a loud brust above their heads and suddenly detective tripped and started ascending fast towards the ceiling. With a yelp he dropped his weapon and noticed a rope tangled at his ankle pulling him upwards. One of the iron blinds fell down next to the grinning thief with a loud thud. Officers gasped and made a move towards KID.

"Oi! Get me down you jerk!" Heiji shouted struggling near the ceiling.

KID chuckled and tipped his hat "As you wish… But watch out for your head!"

Then Heiji started falling as KID flown upwards. In the second they where passing each other detective felt a strong pull from around his neck. He let out a yelp covering his head with his forearms just before he suddenly stopped a few centimeters above ground. Thief was standing in an now opened window and waved towards him with the necklace in his hand. With a soft chuckle KID spoke.

"You are a fine dancer Tantei-han! See you next time!"

Then he turned outside illuminated by lights from choppers. Crowd gathered outside screamed their cheers even louder for their idol. Detective could barealy hear startled yelps from officers who where trying to get him down as the rope suddenly got covered in white smoke and disappeared and then with a soft thud he fell to the floor.

"KID just jumped out of the window! He's stolen the necklace! I repeat – he has the necklace!" reported one of the officers towards his radio.

"HK5 – I have a visual. KID is running upwards the building on the north wall with high speed! I repeat – he is running upwards… DAMN he's fast! I can see lights ascending at the same speed as him on building edges! He seems to be headed towards the roof" came a reply from the radio along with a few other replies from other choppers.

"We are in pursuit! Keep your visual and prevent him from using his hang glider at all costs! Team B get ready and catch him!" Heiji recognized Nakamori-keibus voice coming from communicator.

Detective was pouting heavily. He was mad at himself that he let himself get lured to a trap. He was so sure that he was leading KID on his own against his will. But he had to admit – that guy was damn good with his dodging… He pulled his mask off. Kudo is gonna have a blast later on… damn…

Meanwhile Kaito was running on the wall being pulled up with nearly transparent rope. He didn't expect Tantei-han to be so good with a sword and was breathing hard now. He nearly tripped as he had to sidestep again slightly and lost his footing. Note to self – next time he definitely should prepare a slower speed winch if he ever was to use a similar trick again.

Surprised shouts came from the radio as one officer helped Heiji get up from the floor. "This is HK2 – KID is not yet at the top but the roof got covered in white smoke. I don't have a visual anymore with Team B!" stated a shocked report

"Damn him! Team B – report! What is going on up there?!" growled Nakamoris voice

"There seems to be traps here keibu! Jagura-kun tripped on one as he stepped towards the edge. It's clearing but we can't see a thing at the moment"

"Be careful not to fall!"

"Yes keibu!"

Twenty stories run ended with a high jump. Smoke was nearly cleared but for those gathered on top it looked as if he jumped from above a cloud. As he ascended in the air lights on building sides ended as firework show that startled helicopters and made them move backwards. Midair KID noticed a few officers and his favorite detective staring at him, shielding their eyes from light. ' _Sorry Taintei-kun, seems no chat-time for us this time'_ passed a fast thought through his mind as he grinned at the pint-sized boy. There was a strong burst of light as he started falling down to the roof and the white-cladded thief melded into it. When the light was gone so was the thief. Firework show ended soon after.

Later that night when all left the scene Heiji found the jewel along with a white rose and a 'thank you for a charming evening' card signed with a KID doddle on his pillow in the Mouri agency. Shinichi didn't even try to hide his laugh as his Osakan friend started cursing the absent Moonclad Magician.

* * *

 

_**Thank you for your intrest and hope to see you next chapter *bow* ;)** _


	2. Colors of the mind

**Disclaimer: I don't own MK or DC, or any other manga/anime to be exact. I just like to let my imagination run loose :D**  
  
_**Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story.**_  
  
**This time I present you an action-free chapter showing a bit of background. Hope you guys will bear with me through it :D I promise a bit more action in the next chapter ;)**  
  
**So without further delay...**

**_Please enjoy and review! :)_ **

* * *

 

Can you be over-tired? Kaito believed you can, and it was happening to him right now. But seriously. Setting winch on his top running speed after a session of dodge was simply an idiotic idea. He probably also should take a bath before going to sleep but all he managed was to take off his tuxedo and climb up the hidden stairs to his room. When he saw his bed he just fell in it with a sigh of relief. Still in his silk blue shirt and red tie he has fallen asleep on spot.

Alarm clock ring wasn't a sound he was happy to hear only after a few hours of sleep. He would really prefer to continue his adventure in lala-land for the whole weekend. He tried to turn off the devilish machine only to discover that he can barely move his left arm. With a wince and a growl he got off his bed and went to the bathroom. All his muscles were sore and he sure wasn't feeling as a happy person. Growling sleepily he unbuttoned his smelly shirt and took off his tie. He winced again looking at the mirror. No wonder his arm was hurting so much. That damn Osakan detective must have poked him a few times too many on the same spot. His left arm was covered by an ugly and painful bruise. His right arm had a few slight bruises also but none so serious. Thank heavens for good ol' adrenaline so he didn't feel any pain at the heist.

Kaito took a shower and placed an ointment on his bruises to help them heal faster. It would work better if he had used it last night, but oh well, nothing he can do about it now, right? He tried to stretch few times his pained arms and decided he should be careful with it for some time to avoid straining it. Absent-mindedly he got dressed in fresh clothes, went to feed his doves and returned his room.

He made some light exercise stretching his sore body while considering how he was going to spend this day. He already returned the necklace last night so he didn't have to worry about that. He could go to the station or at the heist scene and see if police can figure how he entered the locked room and took his prize, but… Nah no point in that. This time they had all his three teenage detectives – including one pocket-size - ha! never gets old, he chuckled to himself at his silent tease. Anyway back to the topic… considering those guys it would be a good opportunity to train his impersonating skills, but… He was acing and tired and so wasn't in the mood for that. He did a good job at the heist right? Right. So he deserved a day off. And it was some long now since he got to spend some time with Aoko. He looked though the window and sighed. It's been also some time now since he started considering letting her go. It's been two years now and as far as he knew Pandora might even not exist anyway so he would be stuck being KID for the rest of his life… It would only be fair to… He clapped his cheeks hard. No dark thoughts and while we're at it – no heist thoughts either. He's going to enjoy this day as a cheerful teenager that he was and was going to have a blast with his friend. He glanced at the street below. Correction – he's going to enjoy his day after he gets rid of a minor obstacle. And after a slight jog to cleanse his guilt for skipping training. Yeah – that sounded like a good plan for the day.

Dressed in a track-suit, with an apple in his hand he exited his house and approached a car parked nearby. He then knocked a few times at the window waking up it's passenger. He bent down he looked inside with a tired expression on his face.

"Seriously Hakuba, are you homeless or something?" he turned his gaze at an old lady sitting at the wheel and gave her a warm smile waving at her as he chirped to her "Good morning oba-chan!"

Half-British detective gasped and opened the door getting out "Kuroba you bastard!" addressed person raised his eyebrow at the speaker "When did you come back? Do you have any idea how worried I was? Heard on the radio you went running on building wall. You are just making yourself an ideal target this way. You have a death wish or something?" Hakuba huffed as he finished his accusations.

Kaito tilted his head with his eyebrow still raised "Huh? Oh… you're still on that 'you're KID' stuff?" he sighed "How many times do I have to prove to you that I'm –"

"Oh just stop acting stupid. If not on a heist, then where were you last night? And how did you come back without passing me, hm?"

Magician smirked "You know… just because I don't open my door, doesn't mean I'm not inside. I can always choose to ignore you. And I have. I've been busy lately, as you surely know, and wanted to rest peacefully without you watching me like a hawk – it's disturbing you know. Your stalking me is getting really tiring ... You seriously should do something with that obsession of yours. And like I said – I have proved to you several times now that I can't be KID." he sighed shrugging his arms.

Hakuba opened his mouth and closed it again. There was no point in arguing with the magician without any proof in hand. In the end he settled for an annoyed sigh "Very well then. Could you at least tell me if anything did NOT happen at last nights heist?"

Kaito blinked a few times before answering with a sigh "Congratulations Hakuba… you're making less sense than before –" detective cut him off with an annoyed huff.

"I'm asking whether anybody was shooting at y… KID" he corrected himself quickly "and did **he** get hurt in the process. You should know by now that it has been long now since I have lost my interest in arresting him in favor of understanding what is going on around him. I never wanted him dead and as I see more it started bothering me to know that there are those who do." he explained himself yet again with forcibly calm tone.

An amused smirk bloomed on Kaitos lips "And yet you are a regular at his heists. Interesting isn't it?"

"It's because y… he doesn't want to talk to me if I don't approach him that way." He continued with his calm voice and snapped "Argh… Seriously Kuroba, do you have a split personality problem so we have to play like this?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about. Anyway too bad for you then that you didn't go yesterday in favor to stalk me." magician grinned widely for a moment and sighed "But seriously, you should go back home and catch some sleep. Or if your obsession is so tough on you, you would always try and talk with somebody who actually was there last night instead of bugging me." Was there any point of stopping Hakuba from sniffing around the last heist area? Kaito doubt it. And maybe he could get a stalker-free day if this blonde took the bait "Anyway, been nice chatting with you." Being a curious creature himself he tapped him on the shoulder slipping a bug under his collar "But now I'm going for a jog and would appreciate if you weren't here when I get back. See ya at school on Monday." he waved and jogged away not waiting for a response.

Hakuba furrowed his eyebrows absent-mindedly checking his pockets and jacket for bugs considering what Kaito told him. Magician seemed fine enough, so probably he wasn't badly hurt and wouldn't tell him anything of what happened last night. He winced not knowing what he was hoping for before. Probably taking magicians advice now was the only logical thing he could do at the moment. Not finding anything on himself he sighed and got back in the car and asked Baaya to drive him to the heist location.

* * *

Osakan detective sighed walking beside his friend "But I tell you this guys is beyond strange…"

Conan smirked "Well… Can't say I didn't warn you" Conan reminded him amused.

"But that's not what I mean…" Haiji mumbled annoyed shooting a glance at the boy and huffed shifting his gaze back at the sky "If I didn't graze him a few times I could have sworn I was fighting a real phantom or something… I could only see him you know…"

Grader glanced at his friend and asked carefully "What do you mean?"

Heiji grimaced "It's hard to explain but it was like… I didn't hear him, or feel… I don't mean when he was talking you know. Or when we started, but later I was only following my eyes you know. God it was so annoying… Don't know maybe there was something in that smoke?"

"Or maybe you just imagined it…" he teased with a smirk and sighed "Hattori you were giving all you had and was wearing a mask that limited your breathing. I wouldn't be surprised if some of your senses were limited. And this guy can move really quiet. Personally I'm more interested how he managed to take that necklace of your neck. One pull should not be enough…"

Heiji mumbled clearly not pleased with the explanation but dropped that subject focusing on the other "Yeah... and that chain was probably thick enough to leave me hanging if he tried holding me by it like he did..." he felt a shiver run down his spine as he realizing the danger he was in.

Conan smiled at him reassuringly figuring his train of thought "Don't think like that. I told you that guy doesn't hurt anybody. He seems fanatic with his 'no one gets hurt policy'."

"Yeah. Although it doesn't seem to include him from what I've read." Heiji laughed remembering all he knew about the thief.

The boy huffed "He is probably too cocky to even consider he might get hurt. Just babbling how you can't hurt a phantom... shesh... Just plain crazy..." he shock his head annoyed jus by thinking about it.

They chatted a bit more heading towards the station. They did call the police last night to return the found necklace right after finding it but they wanted to help and unravel tricks KID used at his heist. Truth to be told Hattori wasn't so eager to go and meet officers who might mock him for his failure after he was so sure for his win before. But when he noticed how much Kudo was looking forward to unraveling his favorite puzzle he decided to not go against it. Especially knowing that he couldn't go alone. It was kinda sad that The Great Detective of the East couldn't move freely around without a guardian…

He was a bit surprised when they finally reached the station. He honestly thought it would be worse for him. There were only a few who snickered at him and even they didn't mock him for his failure. They seemed more amused that 'their' thief taught another newbie a lesson. Most just sympathized with him probably still remembering their own lessons of humility KID gave them. Seriously thou… Heiji chuckled mentally. Just who were these guys cheering on last night, he wondered. They didn't seem to hate KID. While he was sure they wanted earnestly catch him, they seemed to like him and simply enjoy the chase. He wondered how would they react if they ever actually caught him. They probably would be disappointed and lost, he figured. Not that he couldn't understand it. On daily basis these guys were casing actual criminals who didn't care for others and were sometimes deadly serious with what they did. It wasn't as bad as what Division 1 had to come with but... In comparison KID was like a fresh breeze. His heists were just carefree fun and games without actual consequences. Eventually even when he got away with his target he would always return it after all... Heiji smiled softly. Crazy and weird was an understatement when describing that guy. He was acting like he snuck away from a fairy tale in order to bring some joy to the world. In the end it wasn't even accurate to call him a thief and they probably called him that only because they lacked a better word for his actions.

Lost in his thoughts Heiji didn't even notice when they entered Nakamori-keibus office until he was shocked back to reality by Conan jabbing him with his elbow to turn his attention to the old mans growls.

"And what do you kids want here?" Nakamori mumbled with a displeased look from above a sheet of papers he was filling in.

"Um… we were supposed to help with investigation on last nights heist…" Hattori explained rubbing his neck with a troubled look.

"Oh yeah? I understand you know how to write a report? So first of all do that. Then you can watch video report and see if you can spot anything in it." Keibu smirked at the unpleased detective boy.

"Um… Oji-san?" Conan chirped with a sweet voice "Could I go watch the video in the mean time, please? I promise not to disturb any ones work."

Nakamori leaned from his desk to throw an evaluating gaze at the small boy and waved his hand at him "Yeah whatever, just don't annoy anyone while at it…"

"Thank you oji-san!" Conan chirped again and grinned at his friend who was picking up papers to fill.

It didn't take long for Heiji to finish his report. In the end he didn't have much to write in it. None the less he was most unpleased to write about his failure. He sighed heavily signing it. After he handed it in he was free to join Kudo in the video room. As he entered he noticed an officer and his friend highly focused on a slow mode action showing on the screen. Wincing he shifted his attention to the video and raised his eyebrows. The film caught KID as he was reaching his arm towards Heijis neck just a moment before he managed to struck the thief. Movie was stopped when tape showed a flash of light reflecting on something in his hand.

"What the…" Hattori mumbled narrowing his eyes to focus better on the glimmer.

Shinichi smirked "Well… seems KID didn't just 'dance' with you." he turned his gaze at his friend "Each time you managed to hit him was when he reached to you and probably then he cut off necklace bindings. This guy is impossible…" he mumbled slowly shocking his head.

Osakan detective opened his mouth focusing his gaze again on the video and recalling his fight. He blinked a couple of times and whispered in awe "It's true… He did reach to me a few times during the fight. But I thought he was just mocking me… I didn't even notice… Damn… Is this guy for real?"

Officer present with them smiled an all-knowing smile and nod his head "That's our KID for ya… Him and his amazing lightning-fast hands." He laughed with sparkling eyes. Detectives smirked at each other figuring this officer was another of the thiefs fan.

Heiji cleared his throat "Could you please zoom in on the flash?" pointing his finger at KIDs hand.

Officer nodded and did as he was asked. They played the tape again in slow motion until they found a semi-visual shape. Detectives crooked their heads.

"Is it… a small blade?" Conan asked and Heiji nodded his head.

"Seems so… So did he actually cut each thread with it?"

Kudo shock his head "Nah… every second or third would be enough. If he would cut each one it could fall on it's own when you were pulled to the ceiling… He probably didn't want it to be damaged by hitting on the ground."

They played the whole fight once again in slow motion. Heiji silently counted and recorded in his mind each struck he did on the thief. Conan stopped the tape when the Osakan was caught by the rope and pulled up noticing KID stretching his arm towards back of the detectives neck. The child smirked.

"And this must be when he undid the clasp."

Heiji nodded and added "And did you notice how he shielded himself with his left arm during the whole time? And each time he made that fast swirl he must have did it to look around his surroundings. A few times after this he somehow made me change our direction…" he slowly shock his head in disbelieve "I was so sure I was leading him where I wanted and it seems now he was guiding me somehow to strike towards the officers to make em move away…"

Kudo nod his head "He figured how you react to his movement in first few seconds… Repay please." After the officer fulfilled his request the boy pointed his finger "Here, see? Slow down and repeat. He's moving a bit random, like he is testing you. And now you are guiding him where it is the best for him…" Shinichi chuckled and grinned "Don't think you had a chance to notice it back then how he was manipulating you."

Heiji crossed his arms and sighed gazing at the video narrowing his eyes "I wonder if I would be able to prevent his plan if I knew what he was doing."

"Probably not with that mask limiting your vision. Seems he didn't let you see that you were closing in on another person before it was too late. Makes me wonder how good is he with chess." The child grinned again and Osakan chuckled quietly. The idea of having a friendly game of chess with KID amused him.

"Well we already knew he is fast. Not much surprise there. Did you find out how he got in the room in the first place?" Nakamori with his stern voice asked from behind them.

Detectives turned to him not noticing when he came in. They spotted a few more people in the room focusing their attention at the monitor. The one to respond was the officer who was watching the video with Conan from the beginning.

"I'm afraid that the smoke obstructed vision from all the cameras. But we are pretty sure that he must have used some kind of trap-door to enterrzez from either above or below."

Nakamori nod his head clearly agreeing with that conclusion. Then he asked about all that they discovered. All three told him how the thief used Hattoris limited vision to guide him though the room where he needed him to be, how he loosened and eventually intercepted the necklace and how he managed to cover all his actions by moving accordingly to the music. Keibu clucked in distaste to all those revelations. After that all gathered in the room discussed all slight mistakes KID has made during his heist, how he probably ended with left arm immobilized by pain and how and if they could have used it in their favor.

To his satisfaction Heiji noticed that nobody seemed to care during their discussion about his friends apparent age and all listened to his reasoning with full attention. He smiled to his thoughts seeing how far KIDs magic seemed to reach allowing Shinichi to show his full potential without shocking other people, they were probably too preoccupied with the thief to even notice that they were talking with a child. No wonder Kudo enjoyed so much those heists.

During the discussion they all ate their lunch. After it two officers and both detectives offered to watch the video showing KIDs escape although nobody expected any revelations from it. Probably the most shocking thing about his escape was that it was such a simple trick.

Sadly that videos quality was very poor and they couldn't find anything interesting in it. They had to admit that though the trick was simple it made quite the show for his audience so they concluded that this must have been his goal with it. In the end last few heists were held inside buildings and he probably wanted to show off for his fans.

By the time they were finished it was already dinner time so detectives excused themselves and went back to Mouris agency. They weren't interested in finding the trap door at the heist building figuring that police would eventually find it themselves.

While on their way back the two boys chatted a bit more about all what they concluded. They agreed that KID probably taunted the Osakan at the beginning with his speech to make him attack more aggressively so he wouldn't notice too many details. But in the end they agreed that the detective did a far better job than flustered officers locked with him inside. By the end of the day Heiji was a bit less irritated with all the humiliation the thief put him through.

* * *

Hakuba was a bit annoyed that the magician didn't want to talk with him this time again. He had no idea how to approach him properly and was getting frustrated with his attempts. The detective sighed. He didn't attend the heist so he wouldn't have to team up with the other two detectives that were supposed to attend it figuring the thief wouldn't appreciate that. But clearly it failed. He would gladly exchange his observations with the brilliant boy and even the Osakan hot-head but he was afraid that they might catch a cue about Kuroba and corner him. And now, after all he learned about KID he wasn't so sure he wanted to see him behind bars.

After the Nightmare incident he had spend a lot of sleepless night reading every note attached to each heist report and learned a lot of surprising details that were neglected in the final reports. There were records of KIDs influence in a few arrests as well as a few civilian and officer rescues the thief carried out. But most alarming were sightings of bullet holes or heard gunshots at heists – that disturbingly also didn't end in the final report. He couldn't understand why all this informations were neglected and who was pulling the strings. He investigated even further reading random reports not connected to KID and was shocked even further. In a few he found unclear circumstances pointing out an outer and unidentified help. He had a feeling that at least some of this was Kurobas doing. But of course his classmate would refuse to shed any light on this, clamming he didn't know anything. It was driving the detective mad. He clearly saw there was something going on behind the scenes, probably something big, but couldn't put his finger on it.

Hakuba tried hard to befriend Kuroba, but the magician seemed to have very little time for any personal life at the moment. Detective tried of course to tail the elusive boy to discover what was occupying him so much but it seemed to be a failed cause and he feared that it might only enrage the thief so eventually he resigned from doing it. Eventually he turned his attention to Aoko. He knew how precious she was to the by and he wanted to assist Kuroba by calming her down when she was mad at him for neglecting their friendship. Hakuba could only hope his efforts were noticed and appreciated by the magician.

Hakuba sighed when his car stopped distracting him form his thoughts. He got out of the vehicle and approached two chatting officers who were apparently having a break. He asked them for details of last nights events. When they finished talking detective excused himself and turned his gaze on the building wall wondering how he could get a closer look at it. He was hoping at the same time that he wouldn't and that he would find any bullets in it. If he did, he had a chance to deduce where from shots were made but it would also confirm the dangers his classmate was up against ending his hopes that it wasn't the case.

He made a mental note to ask for a copy of the videos made last night to watch it later. He was wondering how different or how similar KIDs moves while dodging Hattori were to Kurobas dodging Aokos mop. 'Just how many secrets can you hold..?' he wondered with a smile. Hakuba didn't put too much thought to the police biggest question on how KID entered the locked room. He wasn't even sure whether he was supposed to help them unravel this mystery fearing it could only push his classmates trust further away.

His attention turned back to present as he noticed movement on the building side. On another wall there was a window cleaning lift. He grinned and returned to the policemen to acquire their help with overtaking temporary control over the vehicle. It only took him 5 minutes and 31.4 seconds to convince the building owner to cooperate with his investigation. It took another 15 minutes and 45.7 seconds to move the lift to the right wall. He used that time to investigate the rooftop and even managed to find another KID smoke trap which he pointed out to officers assisting him so they could get someone to disarm it. He was sure Kuroba wouldn't hold it against him as he seemed to abandon his contraption and would probably feel bad if anybody would accidentally trigger it later.

Afterward he took his time (2 hours 56 minutes and 14.07 seconds) to ride the wall up and down. In the end he found 3 bullets that were most probably shot from the same spot on an adjacent building. He send them for further investigation to the lab and proceed with his search for clues about the sniper. Hakuba cursed his lack off sleep that clouded his mind so he couldn't find any leads that could help him get any information on the shooter. Eventually he had to give it up for the day and hand the investigation fully to the police as he retreated back home to finally eat a proper meal and retire for well earned sleep.

* * *

 

**So… yay – Hakuba has joined the story :D**

**I haven't apologized for it before – as you noticed I decided to give up on using Hattoris dialect. Honestly I'm afraid I would do poorly by trying it. I hope you understand and don't hold it against me :)**

**_See you next chapter *bow* ;)_ **


	3. Follow the fox

**Disclaimer: I don't own MK or DC, or any other manga/anime to be exact. I just like to let my imagination run loose :D**

**Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story.**

**First we'll start slow before we get to the promised action. Hope you can bear with me :)**

**So without further delay...**

**_Please enjoy and review! :)_ **

* * *

There is nothing as good as a night-long undisturbed sleep to start thinking clear. Hakuba wasn't even sure why previous day he was so sure that the sniper must have taken his shots from the closest building. That was of course a logical possibility but under no circumstances the only one. The bullet wholes in walls were all disturbed – most probably KID must have disturbed them so it wasn't possible to determine and accurate angle and gave a few possibilities. Maybe Saguru would have seen it in his clouded-mind state but unfortunately ballistics was never his best field of knowledge and he had to put a bit more thought to it. He would prefer to take to the site a specialist, but it might be tricky. Brown-eyed boy sighed wondering if after so much time he would find any clues on other possible sites.

During his sleep the videos he asked for through his father were delivered. It pays of to be a son of the Metropolitan Police chief and he didn't feel bad for using it in his favor. Additionally he received copies of reports on the heist written by the KID Task Force and one done by Heiji. Saguru smiled when he saw it was very convenient for him that his father favored him chasing KID over murderers.

While eating breakfast he pondered whether to once again go to the heist scene or focus on what he already had in his hand. Before he could make up his mind he received a phone call from Aoko. She thanked him for his support over her friendship with Kaito and told him about her day she managed to spend with him. He was content to hear how the magician has spend his day and was nicely surprised to receive and invitation for a meeting with both of them for tonight's evening to see a movie. He was even more surprised to learn that Kaito knew about this and wasn't against it. He gladly accepted the invitation and was looking forward to it although it restricted time he could spend on the case. After he hang up he decided to call the police and leave investigating other possible sniper sites to them. He passed them his suggestions on where the shooter could have camped and then he buried himself in the reports.

Saguru was truly amazed of what he read in the report and seen on the video. KID was so much more than just a skilled magician. It seemed that Kuroba's sacrifice of his free time really did pay off. Watching the video confirmed once again his conviction that Kaito was the thief. The pattern of movement he was watching was broadly the same he saw during class mop-fights. He agreed that KID was moving faster and with more grace, but when he played the video in slow motion it was the same plus a bit more spins.

Saguru frowned to learn that KID most likely got his left arm badly hurt. He felt tempted to confirm it on Kuroba and pin him down a little bit again but he knew it would only ruin the little trust he apparently managed to build. It would be more profitable probably to help him protect his sore spot but only if he somehow managed to show the magician he knew about his weakness. He was musing about it for some time rewatching the video again and again. It was possible that Kuroba would feel offended for his help and the plan could easily backfire this way. He most probably was aware that detectives would discover the damage he took so it wouldn't be a shock for him to discover that Hakuba knew about it. The question was if his pride could swallow the idea of being protected. Saguru had no doubt after all his observations he made on Kuroba that despite all his acting he was somewhat of a haughty person. He probably should play it safe and bet on slow progress. The question was could he afford it?

Saguru played the video of KID's escape. He was not surprised that nobody noticed or took note of thief's brief stops or sidesteps as they where barely visible due to low quality of the tape. He frowned to notice it not three time but five. Could he have missed two bullets or was KID's behavior caused by something else? He bit his lip and cursed the video quality once again. It was so bad that probably even if the thief got hit (which would explain the lack of bullets in the wall). Saguru could only hope that it wasn't the case but he was no fool. As skillful as Kuroba was when it came to shooting he could get hit, especially when he wasn't looking at the shooter. Luck could only get him so far. He imagined what would happen if the thief was shot and tripped while doing a stunt like that. Even if the bullet didn't kill him it could end up fatal for him.

It was clear that he didn't have time. Kuroba desperately needed somebody to watch his back, even if he himself didn't acknowledge it. Hakuba blinked a few times at his thoughts. When did he exactly became so sure that he wanted to help him? He still didn't know the reason Kaito had to do what he was doing or whether it was something he could agree to. Why he himself was so sure that it had to be something decent? What base did this feeling come from? All he knew that it was something KID found worthy enough to gamble his life on.

The blond detective started writing his report covering the found bullets and noticed KID's sidestepping caught on film. Even if he didn't intend to help the police in catching the thief he had to appear useful to have full access to future reports.

As the evening came Saguru still wasn't sure what was he going to do. He left his house wondering about it. Considering his classmates obsession with being secretive it would be easiest to talk with his alter ego about potential help, but he could not risk it during a heist. He met with Aoko precisely 9 minutes and 3.07 seconds before established time and they chatted about daily affairs. Kuroba was nowhere in sight. Aoko was getting irritated when he was getting late and considering KID's punctuality Saguru was getting worried. His mind flew to the reports mentioning an unidentified help and he found himself wondering if his classmate was safe.

* * *

'Stupid detectives. Why does anybody call them 'geniuses'? Can a person lacking any self-preservation be a genius? Probably only in a locked environment… How are they still alive anyway?' saying that Kaito was mad was a misunderstanding. He was only woesome and well maybe a little mad too, but only a tiny bit, alright?

He had a nice day yesterday. Had to use some of his charm and a little pranking to convince Aoko to abandon her plans and spend her day with him. Kaito was shocked to discover that apparently Hakuba had some contribution in Aokos tolerance for his lack of time. He was surprised so much that it even made it show through his poker face. It even made him consider whether he would prank the detective at school as a punishment for his stalking… Besides that it was a nice day full of fun. Later at home he could at ease check his equipment from last heist, record entry from Hakubas bug to listen to it during school, stretch some and go to sleep at reasonable hour. Honestly he could say that it was the best day he had recently.

Then came today. It started good. His arm still ached and he still had to be wary of it but decided he couldn't be slacking off anymore. In the end there were a few intense trainings he could manage without even twitching his arms. So he packed his minimum equipment – random male mask, a few smoke bombs, one sleep capsule, his fateful card-gun (never leave home without it), a few roses (who knows when you meet a lady in need of a flower, right?) and just basic stuff like that. Dressed in his black jeans, shirt and cap he left off. There weren't supposed to be any trouble. Leave home, reach his favorite training spot, train some, go home and meet Aoko and maybe Hakuba (well… he sortha' earned it) in the evening. But he just had to spot Tantei-kun and Tantei-han acting sneaky… They seemed to be trailing somebody and it wasn't in a good neighborhood…

He totally should leave them be. Maybe they would learn something and act more secure next time? But this way they could not have 'a next time'. Damn his conscience… So there he is now – following two 'genius' detectives into an apparently abandoned warehouse. He sighed heavily hastily writing down a few words on a card and putting on his mask believing his kaitou-senses would be tingling by now – if he had any that is.

Conan and Heiji were out on a stroll when suddenly a body fell down and crashed on a nearby passing car. They probably should wonder why things like that happened around them, but honestly after some time a person can get used to even strangest of things. Soon after police came they solved the case so that everybody else besides the culprit could return to their matters. They would probably leave as well but something about the car driver and his passenger bothered Shinichi. It could have been the look in their eyes, black clothing, they way the passenger held his right hand in his pocket all the time or all of the above. Fortunately their vehicle was in no condition to continue their journey, so left on foot and detectives decided to follow.

Worsening neighborhood should probably worry them but instead it reassured them that following those two was a good idea. When their targets entered an abandoned warehouse through an open gate they glanced at each other before giving a nod. They moved as quietly as they could following inside. Because of dirty windows it was shady there. Interior was rather empty and spacious. They hastily rushed to the side to hide away from the entrance so they wouldn't be so visible with light behind their backs. There were very few objects they could hide behind, as they were still tailing their targets. Nothing indicated that they were spotted yet.

They followed into a corridor and heard other voices. Seemed it was some kind of a shady meeting. They gulped and entered another vast space. There were a few cars parked inside. Carefully they came closer to hear what was being said as Conan accidentally knocked a metal pipe. Heiji grabbed him and bumped behind a few crests.

"Who's there?!" one of the men shouted and detectives heard numerous people moving for cover and several clicks of weapon safety catches.

This was bad. They could see a corridor they could use to exit the room, but to reach it they would have to run through the open. Conan powered-up his shoe getting ready to kick a ball for distraction when a card has flown to them and dug into the floor right next to Hattori. He picked it up and held it low enough for Shinichi to read also:

_When lost in dangerous forest hounds should trust the fox they know  
and not the voices they hear._

_K.K. (doodle)_

Heiji turned his gaze from the card back to the corridor and noticed movement there like somebody threw something. At the same time heard a loud rumble somewhere behind them, near the cars. Then there were gunshots and startled, angry yells as the men tried to identify what was going on. Conan noticed with a corner of his eye a few marbles rolling through the room and then heard a soft hissing noise as the air started filling with smoke from various spots. Hattori held strong Kudo's arm to not loose him as they started moving towards the corridor. Nearly the moment they stood up they stopped suddenly hearing heavy footsteps of a few people and heard a rough voice close before them.

"Boss! Wha' goin on?"

"Fool! What an I paying you for?! Somebody infiltrated! Guard the entrance so those rats can't escape before this smoke disperses." While one of the men gathered near the cars responded somebody bumped with the startled detectives and hastily placed a strong grip on Heiji's jacket while muffling his mouth with a gloved hand.

"Follow" KID's command was a barely hearable, spoken with wind-like voice but strong enough to fully demand obedience and after that he once again changed his voice to the rough one they heard a moment ago and said loudly "Ye' sir!"

With eyes stinging they ran after the thief leaving the room they were trapped a moment ago. KID let Hattori go once they left the smoked area. In spite of the situation they were in, or maybe because of it Osakan detective noticed once again that he can't hear any sound from their guide. Even when he opened a door they didn't make a creak. The only thing he could hear were noises the detectives made themselves and other people form distant. Conan was staring at the thief with distrustful gaze. He spoke with a whisper once they stopped briefly so he could check if they were followed.

"KID why a–"

"Hush Puppy-kun" Hattori noticed Kudo made a face when he was cut with a soft wind-like voice "This is not a time for chat. Later." He turned his head slightly so they could see his all-knowing smirk and rushed towards stairs.

They followed him without question adjudging that he knew the layout of the building. They were about to enter a next corridor when KID suddenly jumped backwards bumping into them pushing them behind a few crates grabbing hold on each of them so they would stop. Hattori heard a soft hiss leave KID's lips when his left arm collided with detective's body. That reminded him their fight recorded on tape.

""Ya hear somethn'?" A hoarse voice spoke from the other side of the room and they heard a metallic click of weapon safety catch.

"Huh? Nah... but check it out."

"They can't see me." Conan stated with a spooked voice.

KID winced but gave a short nod "Give me your jacket." And he swiftly buried his hand in his pocket turning his attention to the other detective. He started explaining with a rushed voice "There is an open door just past this corridor. Count to twenty and run for it. Cover your tracks with smoke when in open-" he shoved in Heiji's hand three marbles "Just throw them on the floor. If you have trouble hold your breath, twist and throw this – sleep gas." he gave him a small egg-shaped object and placed a hand on Heiji's shoulder, seeing how he tried to cut in "I'll be fine. So be a good boy Doggy-han and start counting."

He gave him a pat on the shoulder, took Conan's jacket, wrapped it around something in his arms and without waiting for response he jumped out of their cover in direction they came from. A bullet snapped a piece of wood from a corner of a crate Heiji was hiding behind. KID let out a panicked shout, threw a frightened gaze at his attackers and continued running with audible steps. The men continued to fire at him.

"Stand still you damn rat!" they shouted after him and followed.

Conan and Heiji crammed behind the chest held each other from moving as they saw KID trip after a shot. When countdown reached 0 they were left alone and Kudo jabbed his friend side. Reluctantly they turned towards the exit and ran. They had to use all three smoke-bombs but managed to escape the warehouse. Once at the street Shinichi took out his phone and still running he dialed police number.

"Oi! What are you doing?!" Heiji shouted at him as he noticed.

"Calling cops, what else?"

"But KID –"

"They won't catch him unless he's hurt bad enough, otherwise they will give him a distraction if he hadn't left already. Moshi moshi? ..." He explained quickly and told about the situation through the phone, not mentioning about the thief.

Conan was sure that KID would want to return his jacket so once they reached the main street they decided to wait for him. They saw police cars rushing towards the warehouse they left and after a while they decided to go back to the scene. They found a few officers standing near the cars waiting on standby or talking through their radios. Heiji somehow managed to make them to allow the boys to stay in the area. The police managed to make only a few arrests. They found two cars immobilized by cut tires. The detectives had no doubts that nobody important was caught. To their relief the thief also wasn't found. Heiji clenched harder on the card hidden in his pocket and after a while they left the scene.

They wandered a bit in a safer area but nobody tried to approach them. As they came back to the agency in the evening and Conan didn't find his jacket anywhere Heiji started to worry a bit. He had to leave back to Osaka but before he got on the train he made Kudo promise him that he would give him a call if he got any info on the thief.

* * *

 

**What is an action story without a little cliff-hanger right? :D**

**As we had a bit more shared action here this chapter ended up a bit shorter than the last one – hope you can forgive me that ;)**

_**See you next chapter *bow* ;)** _


	4. Fate of the dove

**Disclaimer: I don't own MK or DC, or any other manga/anime to be exact. I just like to let my imagination run loose :D**

**_Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story._ **

**This time I present you a full package: some inner thoughts, explanation of what happened after the cliffy and a bit of action ;)**

**So without further delay...**

**_Please enjoy and review! :)_ **

* * *

It was Thursday as Heiji was pondering again over the events that took place last Sunday. He focused his gaze on his silent cell phone and sighed. Still no news about KID, huh? Well… maybe Kudo was wrong? It's true that the thief usually returned everything he stole, but back then he said " _give_ me your jacket", right? Maybe he needed it for something else and didn't intend to give it back. In the end it wasn't anything he's stolen… And it was a more reassuring thought than an option that he wasn't able to return it. Heiji grimaced. The guy was an annoying criminal but he did save their behinds and he couldn't help feeling bad by a thought that he might have gotten hurt in the process. Heiji huffed annoyed.

Anyway… a criminal, huh? Detective's thoughts drifted in that direction remembering his after-heist conclusions. That guy was definitely bizarre. All damage he's done was the effect of people trying (and failing) to catch him. Heiji was pretty sure that if he was to be left alone he wouldn't do any damage at all. On the contrary – the heists seemed good for business. Each item targeted by the thief received an extreme spike of public interest. Since KID's reappearance more people visited museums and other cultural sites at which the thief showed up. Moreover it was ridiculous how nobody got hurt considering extreme measures sometimes taken against him. And yet he was concerned a world's menace. Maybe because it was so hard to ignore his taunts? Maybe he really was just an adrenaline junkie? Somehow he felt it was wrong… Heiji ruffled his hair and let out a yell of annoyance.

When thinking about it Heiji felt bad with the thought that he himself injured the guy who without any hesitation came to their rescue, despite the pain he was in. It wasn't right in the first place to hurt him at all since he himself tried so hard not to harm anybody, but the detective didn't fret over it before at all. He figured that it was ok to use moderate violence to stop a criminal, as long as it wouldn't end up as anything serious. Now it just felt wrong. But then again witnessing KID's abilities Heiji wondered sighing if there was any other way to catch him.

After school he send Kudo a message asking if he had any info on KID. It didn't take him long to receive a response that he didn't, just like he didn't the last dozen of times. Heiji grimaced and shoved his phone back into the pocket.

* * *

Hattori was starting to annoy Conan. He never suspected his friend to worry so much over the thief. He himself knew better than to be concerned too much by the cocky and elusive phantom. Not that he didn't believe he couldn't get hurt. He was simply sure that as long as they didn't find his dead or dying body the guy could take care of himself.

Conan sighed. He didn't like the feeling of being in debt to KID but he had to admit that he really did save them that time. He would probably go easy on the thief on his next heist in return to even the score but that was it.

Anyway he was more concerned about why KID was there in the first place and who were these men they followed. As he found out the police didn't have any promising leads about them. Grunts they caught were some guys with criminal records for violence, robbery and such. Was it possible BO hired people like that? He wasn't sure but couldn't honestly rule it out. It wasn't any major action and the Organization would probably want to have it's hands in everything shady that was happening in the area. It was possible that some might not even know they were working for them. But then again Conan shouldn't trouble himself with them either - it's not likely they would give him any leads if they didn't know anything... The problem was the 'if' part...

The big question was whether KID knew something. He was a nosy guy and odds were that he could be sniffing around after the Bell Tree Express incident. Could that be the reason he was there to save them? He couldn't rule that out either. As days went by it was less probable that he would get to talk about it with the thief when he came to return his jacket. So he would have to corner him at a heist. Conan grimaced. Lately it was hard to catch up with the guy alone as usually some police officer would be tagging along with him. He didn't like it but it wasn't like he could complain about it. He could always drug the cop and then blame it on the thief but he honestly didn't like the idea.

He thought about writing a riddled message to KID through a newspaper in order to meet him but Hattori was sure he hurt him in the arm during the heist and they both saw KID trip while being shot at. Odds were that he was just faking it to encourage his pursuers but it wasn't unlikely that he was hit. In that case it would be better to just let him heal up and patiently wait until his next notice came up.

Another problem was how to actually question the thief when he got the chance. Last thing he wanted was to intrigue him with his matters if KID wasn't involved yet. The guy was smart and taking any information out of him without leaking any out himself was a challenge. He probably should think of some false and boring reason why he was interested in the case and those men.

Shinichi didn't doubt that having KID on his side would be a valuable asset, but as things were right now he was a wild card and having him meddling with the case could end up unexpectedly. And he couldn't have that. Things were enough dangerous as they were. So until a miracle happened and he could somehow control KID's actions that was out of the question.

* * *

Hakuba was one of the first to enter the classroom. He was still unpacking his notebooks when he saw Aoko entering followed by yawning Kuroba. Saguru smiled lightly at the magician as he was laying his head on his desk to catch some more rest. It seemed that detective's tactic worked out quite well as lately Kaito was pranking him less often than before. It was still far from full success but he felt that they where on the right track.

Hakuba shifted his gaze on magicians arm and frowned as he noticed him still treating it with special care. It was long now that he did that and Hakuba cursed mentally the Osakan hot-head hoping still that it was only his fault. It worried him how protective Kuroba was of it during their meeting. He was apparently more caring about keeping it safe than acting as if he was unhurt which meant the injury was severe enough.

On Sunday Kuroba was 43 minutes and 8.03 seconds late for their meeting so they missed the movie they agreed to watch. Aoko was quite angry with him and probably didn't even notice how heavy the magician breathing was when he showed up. Hakuba didn't miss it however and neither the way he was holding his left arm. The detective stepped between his two classmates just in time to stop Aoko from hitting her friend and smoothly ending their quarrel proposing a different movie to watch. After that he kept staying near Kuroba's left side and he saw how uneasy it made him. He kept trying to slightly change their arrangement until he noticed Hakuba shielding him from colliding his arm with somebody. That clearly shocked the magician and soon after detective found him testing his intentions by dangerously exposing his sore spot to the detective. As he didn't take the bait and avoided even slightly touching it Kuroba visually relaxed for the evening.

Back at school magician was slightly ignoring him like usual but the lack of pranks on him was visible enough to be noticed by the whole class. Especially that he didn't do any less of his antics on everybody else during lessons. Aoko clearly took it as her own achievement and was happy about it. Hakuba was more concerned not to show how content he was with this situation. He was wondering about his next step to progress their relationship. It wasn't like he could or wanted to wait until Kuroba got injured again. He concluded that his next step should be by his own accord as the magician didn't seem to be interested in doing so. The problem was detective didn't know what exactly he could do without the risk of ruining his small success.

* * *

Kaito glanced at Hakuba as he was passing by him. He still wasn't sure what to think of the detective's actions last Sunday. Was he honestly trying to befriend him or was he laying a trap? Kaito frowned turning his head to his desk. Hakuba has been disturbingly thoughtful and considered of him lately. Not only he didn't try to prove his connection to KID but he actively helped him to cover it up. He felt uneasy about this situation fearing how it might end. Kaito had to be extra careful until he discovered the whole plot. He couldn't rule out the sinister possibility and it was bugging him.

As he sat at his desk and moved his arms to lay down on it he felt a sting of pain from his injury. That reminded him annoyingly of the two 'geniuses' who ruined his plans before the movies. Even for him it was hard to avoid being shot while he couldn't see the shooter and unfortunately he didn't have eyes on his back. Lady Luck was still at his side and he could only be grateful that he was only grazed by the bullet on his arm which was already hurt to begin with. It didn't hinder his escape that way and was easier to hide his new injury from Hakuba. Kaito was laying on his desk, acting like he was napping to give himself some more time to think it all over again.

He returned with his thoughts back to the other two detectives wondering how he could punish them for their idiocy. Unfortunately he couldn't prank them as Kaitou KID and Kuroba Kaito had no connections to them. With his monocle and top hat on he was a gentleman, a bit mischievous one, true that, but he wouldn't be vulgar or humiliate one of his lawful pursuers in any open way. He only let them humiliate themselves while trying to catch him. And that was a huge difference. And although he was KID he couldn't bend the rules as this whole masquerade was a tribute to his father and he wouldn't throw that away for mere satisfaction. He could always try and lure the detectives into a trap but it was very hard to achieve with Tantei-kun. Kaito could probably trick Tantei-han into it but he didn't want to discourage the rarely seen Osakian from visiting his events if he was the only one to fall for a trap. He sighed heavily letting out his frustration.

* * *

Aoko noticed it when her friend sighed and she threw him a puzzled look.

"Huh? Kaito is something wrong?

"Nah… was just wondering if you'll ever develop any curves or will you stay a tomboy forever…" he blabbered with concerned voice without giving much focus to the spoken words.

The girl's face turned red as she swung her backpack at her friend. He dodged it, absent- mindedly noting not to move too fast while instantly putting on his favorite Kuroba Kaito mischievously smiling mask. It turned out into a standard mop-fight during which he flipped her skirt and noted out-loud her panties color to keep her going through half of the lesson, answered the teachers question and involved with the chase a few of his classmates. He took special care not to let her swing her weapon too close to his injured arm. All that still without breaking his train of thoughts – you gotta love multi-tasking.

* * *

Of course this whole Sunday mess was his own fault too. He could have just ignored the detectives and leave them alone. Kaito was glad he didn't and managed to save them, but it ended with so much trouble for him. He didn't like people shooting at other people who found themselves in a wrong place and he wasn't going to tolerate it on his own playground, once he witnessed it. People should learn by now that kaitous are terribly territorial creatures and this particular one could not stand any lethal behavior. Kaito shouldn't probably vex any more dangerous people as he already had more than enough on his tail but he couldn't just leave it be.

It was almost an unconditional reflex for him to shoot his card gun at car tires when he dropped his smoke bombs to retrieve his detectives from danger. And as he left such an obvious clue that he was there he couldn't just leave without a trace. He wasn't happy to notice that, by the time he shook of his pursuers and returned to the room, some of the people had already ran away with cars he failed to immobilize. All he could do at the time was to delay everybody else from fleeing with little equipment he was left with (fortunately a skilled magician as he is can do wonders with a rope of headscarves, flowers, a card gun and duct tape – cleaning it all up from police sight was another matter and it was no fun at all!). He used some of his mother's trade mark frightening techniques to question some of his captives to get information on who they were working for, but he didn't have enough time to learn everything he wanted before the police came. Not that he intended to pursue them or anything like that. He was more interested to know if they would be a threat to him in the future in revenge for his today's stunt. After police showed up ('Ah thanks for that by the way… I'm sure it was you who called them Tantei-kun! I knew you cared ~') he supervised them to make sure they didn't find any of his traces.

Afterwards he was feeling dizzy from blood loss. He managed somehow to reach his training spot he was headed to before this whole mess. He was so tired that he nearly triggered his own traps while entering it. After applying some first aid to his wound, eating some snacks he kept there and checking Tantei-kun's jacket for any blood traces or damage he fell asleep. The rest was good for him and he felt a whole lot better after it, but he was late for the meeting because of it! To make matters worse he didn't have any change of clothes in there so after gathering all he had to he rushed to a store to buy a long-sleeved shirt. On his way for the movies he stashed in an alley his bloodied black shirt and Conan's jacket before meeting with his classmates.

And in the end after the movies when he returned to retrieve Conan's jacket and his shirt he found them gone. Honestly! Somebody stole his Taintei's jacket from Kaitou KID! Now how ridiculous it was? He should find the person and congratulate them on this achievement. And now he had to buy an identical one and make it look old so the detective wouldn't notice the switch. He wondered if he could pull it off without Conan noticing a misplaced thread or some equally unnoticeable difference.

* * *

The mop-fight was enjoyable as always and put him in a better mood and helped clear his mind. After they finished his friend huffed annoyed sitting at her desk.

"And to think Aoko was worried about you!"

With a corner of his eye he noticed that under her annoyed mask she was relieved so he grinned happily at her.

* * *

A few days later Hattori received a message from Kudo saying he found his jacket. As Conan didn't want to worry his friend he didn't tell him anything when he discovered later that it actually wasn't his jacket, but a very similar one. And Heiji for his part didn't tell him how relieved he was to read the news.

A few days later the police received a heist notice from KID.

* * *

KID looked unpleased at the small monitor before turning it off and listening to his surroundings. After Hakuba surprised him once into thinking he was gone and nearly catching him in a cold trap in the process he started sending his doves with tracking devices after his detectives. So yeah... Maybe it was cheating a bit, but in the end they did have advantage in any other field and he seriously didn't want to get caught and abandon his life as Kuroba Kaito. Anyway both of the signals he read were now staying close to detectives homes. It was annoying. He was waiting so long with this heist to be in top form for them again and as it seemed they wouldn't come and he would be bored.

And he did put so much effort into making backup plans for it. Since Jii-chan had a stroke almost a year ago he definitely forbade the old man from taking any part in his heists. To compensate for it he put him in charge of securing his house while he was out and digging up info on potential targets. It honestly did work pretty well but pulling off and predicting alone everything that could happen was hard on him. And made him feel more lonely too...

Kaito knew he should be glad with this outcome as at least he wouldn't be too much tired this time, but he learned to enjoy the challenge and the distraction from more serious matters his detectives provided him. And as the museum was a sealed, low-storied building he wouldn't even get a chance to put up a show for his fans. He could only cheer himself up by the thought that he managed to put up the run-on-the-wall trick and fireworks last time. Not much, but as he read on his fan forums people appreciated it anyway.

With a huff he turned the monitor on again switching it to the other channel, turning his attention to more serious matters. He noticed one signal was standing still and two more still roaming the area. So one sniper spotted, huh? Not that he was complaining but for some time now it was only one each heist. He grimly hoped that it would change soon and he could catch some of them. It wasn't worth going after a single target. The birds he trained for sniper-spotting missions were just plain grey pigeons that nobody would suspect so easily as his white doves. They carried not only transmitters but also cameras through which he could see when the shooter was pulling the trigger so he was able to avoid being shot.

KID checked the time and hid the monitor in his inner pocket. He put on his trade mark smirk flicking his personality to the miraculous magician's. 'It's show time' he whispered in his mind and dropped a smoke bomb.

Just like he feared only the KID Task Force were present at the heist. He let them chase him a bit before losing them. When he did he spoke through a police radio he borrowed from one of his pursuers (he was going to return it later along with today's prize) using Nakamori's voice calling all units to the roof. As he predicted keibu got angry and called off all units from the roof including those who were stationed there. He ordered them all instead to chase his dummy. Kaito sighed mentally hearing heavy footsteps pass him. It was too easy without his detectives. While taking his time climbing the stairs he toyed with an idea of pursuing his Task Force himself with his glider after he finished here but that would be pushing it...

Just before he opened the doors leading to the roof he checked his monitor again and turned on vision in his monocle. He could clearly see one sniper silently waiting for him. He hid the monitor again praying to Lady Luck that his winged spies didn't oversee any other shooter and he opened the door. He casually approached the edge of the roof looking as he had no worry in the world and took out his today's prize. He admired it for a moment and checked it with the moonlight focusing his right eye on the waiting sniper 'Come on... shoot. I don't wanna play dodge in mid-air'. As he sighed disapointed and hid the jewel in his pocket the sniper answered his silent prayer. He slightly stepped to the side, just barely dodging the bullet and averted his gaze towards the shooter. It would be impossible for him to see the hidden man from such a distance but thanks to his birds he knew exactly where he was. He saw through his monocle as his adversary moved uneasily as he looked at him. KID grinned predatorily and pointed his two fingers at his own eyes and then at the sniper's. Slowly he turned one finger up and waved it prohibiting the shooter from taking another shot. The man shivered strongly and ran away. Kaito chuckled grimly and jumped from the roof opening his glider.

* * *

Next day at school Kaito found Akako pulling his arm and demanding to have a chat with him before he got to rest at his desk. Grumbling he followed her to the roof as he knew it was pointless and dangerous to ignore her. When they reached their destination she looked him in his eyes with enough worry to wake him up completely. He didn't like it when she was so serious as it probably meant trouble for him. Of course he wasn't going to drop his act just for a lousy matter like that. He yawned widely and put his hands behind his head and spoke with a bored and annoyed voice.

"What is it now Akako?"

She narrowed her eyes clearly annoyed with his act, but didn't comment on it and spoke putting a lot of stress to her voice.

"Listen Kuroba-kun, you should refrain yourself from anything that you're thinking you're doing. I'm serious."

"Akako…" he rolled his eyes "If it is another… -" he started as the witch angrily cut him off.

"You know I don't care for your denials. I know who you are and I have received a premonition for you. You should know better than to ignore it." She closed her eyes for a moment and spoke with an eerie voice that made Kaito's hair stand up _"'When the white shadow goes against the natural order, the demons enclose at him and finally triumph as the dove falls to the_ _ _crows_ feasting on it'_. This is what Lucifer told me. I don't know what it means, but I don't like the sound of it." She admitted holding her arms and looking away.

Kaito gulped and nod his head slowly "Yeah…" he agreed dropping the act. The 'triumphing demons, falling dove and feasting crows' didn't sound like this was something he should ignore.

* * *

**Whew! Finally done ;) I promise a bit of a laugh next time ;)**

**Side note: there seems to be a little discrepancy about Akako's magic and tears. I've decided to hold on to manga version – in which witch's tears cancel only her spells – not make her loose her magic. Not sure if I'll use it, but figured as she appeared in the story I could clear this up.**

_**See you next chapter *bow* ;)** _


	5. Conversations with the Moon

Disclaimer: I don't own MK or DC, or any other manga/anime to be exact. I just like to let my imagination run loose :D

**_Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story._ **

**This time I intend to provide you – my dear readers - with action and some laughter – I sincerely hope you like it.**

**Side note: So, as you guys probably noticed watching the anime – KID doesn't always write his notices in riddles and I will be referring to it in this chapter (and by the way I wanted to apologize in advance – I would make a very poor kaitou since I suck at writing riddles xD bear with me please ;) ).**

 

**So without further delay…**

**_Please enjoy and review! :)_ **

* * *

**Chapter 5: Conversations with the Moon**

* * *

Kaito was trying to focus on planning his next heist when the memory of what Akako told him started haunting him again. He didn't like the sinister premonition/prophecy or whatever he should call that odd riddle. And the most annoying part was that it could mean anything. Literally. 'Going against the natural order' could as well be a reference to his heists. He was going against the law by performing them but there was no way he was going to quit. Kaito growled annoyed and shoved away the plans laying on the desk before him. He put on his tracksuit and went for a jog to clear his mind.

He should focus on this whole thing from another angle. The riddle didn't specify in particular anything that was supposed to trigger it. But maybe it did? It would mean that… What? Absent-mindedly he jumped on the car mask that nearly ran him over. He continued his jog speeding up as somebody ran after him trying to stop him and soon lost the chase. All without noticing anything happened, too focused on his thoughts. Maybe the trigger would be doing something new? "That would make sense." He muttered to himself.

Rest of the riddle was more obvious to him. He remembered Akako referring to one of his detective's as a demon, so he would go stick that for now. Their triumph would then mean getting some evidence against him or unmasking him. Not that he would be happy about it, but it wasn't anything he couldn't deal with either. He could rule out the possibility of catching him due to the next part. He muttered disgruntled making a spin stealing back a wallet from a pickpocket and placing it back in its owners pocket still too focused on his breath and the premonition to notice it. The identity of dove and crows were clear for him. The problem were the falling and feasting parts which meant a very bad thing he didn't intend to dwell on. He could only hope that it wouldn't end up as anything permanent.

Well anyway no point in worrying now about the possible outcome, right? He would have to just deal with it if it came (Yep – going with a 'if' and not a 'when'). As he concluded he'd only have to refrain himself from 'going against the natural order of things' more than he usually does and nothing of the sinister stuff would happen anyway. Sooo what… no miracles? Well as long as Suzuki Jirokichi didn't send him another challenge it should be easy enough. Without the old guy KID didn't have even any opportunity to shine like that anyway. Not that he broke any actual laws with them… They were just tricks in the end – no real harm done to any laws of physics and such. Too bad he had nobody to argue with about it. He was sure he would win.

After coming to that conclusion he felt better and returned home, took a shower and continued with his plans without any interrupting thoughts. Kaito was only grimly hoping that his last private show for the sniper could bear a fruit he hoped for.

* * *

_I dream of the dance and gaze with sparkling eye at the Moon's I wish to hold,_  
But the rat stole the melody.  
So here I stand alone in silence without touching a soul,  
Until I hide the treasure in my palm.  
Kaitou KID (doddle)

Conan frowned over the new heist note he found in a newspaper. KID has gone and made it a riddle this time again. The detective wondered if it was his way of luring 'his favorite critic' to show up on his heist. To think that he didn't come to the last one to make a favor for the thief. Oh well whatever – not that Conan could complain as he did enjoy solving his riddles. Hattori huffed annoyed looking at the notice.

"I hope he won't be trying to pull me to his 'dance' again...'" he grimaced "One humiliation like that is enough for me. Guys at the club have been laughing about it for days about that I tell you…"

The not-child detective blinked gazing at his friend and mumbled "That's it... Hattori! What was the melody he played at that heist?"

"Huh?" Osakan blinked focusing back on present and frowned "Hum… no idea, I'm not into music like that to be honest. Wanna go to the station to check it in the report?"

As the smaller boy nod his head they both stood up and announced to their friends their departure. The girls were not pleased with them so before going to the station they had to walk them to the mall and promise to meet with them there later.

As they entered the station they had easily gained permission to meet with Nakamori-keibu who with his KID Task Force were currently busy solving the heist notice. Detectives entered the briefing room and listened quietly looking at the talking man standing before a white-board with the riddle written down on it and a few notes describing it.

"So summarizing all that was said…" roared the restless keibu sparing just a glance to the boys "KID will hit somewhere between 23 and 1 o'clock as this covers the hour of the rat. We still have to figure the day he'll come. The reference to not touching a soul relates most likely to the method he'll use, so we believe he will not knock-out anybody in order to impersonate them. The 'moon' mentioned in the note is written with capital letter which means it is some part of the name of his target. Officers Yamada and Ichiru are now researching all the recent and close-future objects with a word 'moon' in the name. So does anybody have any additional thoughts on this topic?"

Heiji was impressed with how much the police managed to solve themselves but he had to admit it shouldn't surprise him as they had a long time to practice and get used to solving riddles like that. Conan jabbed him with his elbow so he cleared his throat getting everybody's attention.

"Well actually I think we have a guess on the day part. KID makes a reference to a dance and music twice. Does the report of the heist I last attended say what melody he played back then? He did call our fight a 'dance' back then…" he admitted embarrassed and unpleased to remind about his failure "Moreover as I remember back then it was somewhere around midnight as the music stopped, so the odds are 'the rat stolen the melody' is a reference to that exact time."

"To answer your question, the music KID used that time was an energetic remix of Vivaldi's 'Spring' and the accurate time was 23:47:52,03." stated a familiar and arrogant voice which Hattori hoped to never hear again "If I'm not mistaken." It didn't sound like owner of the voice had any doubts for his memory and the blond detective stood up from his chair not so far away and looked straight at other two boys "Astonishing deduction might I add... Did you make it yourself Hattori-kun?" he added with a smirk throwing a glance at Conan.

Heiji only growled irritated so Hakuba continued "So you also expect that KID will make his heist at mentioned time on the start of calendar spring? Which is two days from now, on the 20'th March." Not waiting for an answer Hakuba turned his gaze to Nakamori "Moreover keibu, I believe his target will be the Moon's Eye much as literally said in the notice. As I researched it will be on display at Tadaru Art Museum, shown to the public from 21'st March. Seems KID wants to be the first to place his 'gaze with his sparkling eye' at the jewel before the public. I still have trouble thou with the 'I stand alone in silence' and 'sparkling eye' part..." he frowned and looked at the other two detectives "Any thoughts on that?"

"Maybe he'll come dressed up as a mine..? They are always silent…" A young officer proposed "What..? I mean it's KID... so it is possible, right?"

Somebody coughed hiding his laugh as most gave the speaker flat looks. Nakamori just face-palmed.

"What..? It's KID after all…" the man mumbled blushing by the reactions he received and focused his gaze on the floor hoping the earth would split and burry him.

* * *

Kaito was at that time in the middle of bullet-dodge training. He was listening to the transmission from the station, provided to him thanks to a bug he planted on Nakamori-keibu. He started laughing hard and was hit by a few rubber bullets he failed to dodge, when he heard the distressed voice and his explanation. It hurt him but it was still worth it. He started considering organizing a mime-fan gathering for the heist and visualized everybody's faces at that site. He got hit by another few bullets. Oh god it hurt so bad... but still worth it.

* * *

Heiji grunted as he got up to his feet after tripping when he heard the officer's explanation "Yeah, well… It could also mean that he intends to spook everybody out of the room with his target, or he will displace it to another location before actually stealing it. 'Sparkling eye' might imply to usage of bright light before achieving his goal." He shrugged "If we put that all together I wouldn't be surprised if he's planning on making an fireworks show inside the room…"

"Nonsense… That would be dangerous and we all know very well his 'no one gets hurt' policy. But the rest of your deduction does sound reasonable…" Hakuba admitted holding his chin.

Keibu was writing down on the white board the ideas (excluding the mime-theory) and spoke after he finished "Right men. Now we should focus on how are we going to stop him from achieving his goal. Hoping that this time we won't receive any idiotic requests from the owner…" Nakamori grumbled throwing a glance at Hattori.

Conan and Hakuba smirked as the dark skinned detective slightly blushed and lowered his gaze. It wasn't like that time was his idea but he still didn't feel good with his failure and he wondered it will ever be forgotten.

Another officer stood up holding his arm up for attention.

"Well… considering KID might want to move the jewel before actually acquiring it we might want to move it ourselves at last minute to another, random location? We know that he often finishes preparing his tricks while we're already there but even he can't be capable of fixing all of the rooms in the museum… Right..?" he asked uncertainly.

"Not a good idea… It would allow him to intercept his target while we're trying to move it." Somebody else argued.

"Well not really if he intends to 'not touch a soul' he wouldn't. and if the carrier was to make a decision on where to go by himself on the last second it could work."

"Or…" all felt a slight shiver as they heard the voice of 'mime-idea' officer "We could make the target roam the area by itself. Like in the 'Blush Mermaid' case, remember? But this time instead of a locked animal we could use a bird! Hakuba-kun owns a well-trained hawk, doesn't he? So KID wouldn't be able to hide it behind a plate like he did with a turtle. And he might consider the bird to be a 'soul' so actual intercepting the target from it would be difficult." The man spoke fast, afraid somebody might interrupt him and he really wanted to redeem himself.

Gathered officers murmured with one and other. That was a crazy idea, definitely out-off the box but… Not so stupid either… Probably.

Hakuba sighed heavily and stated with a straight face "I can't agree to that. I have no doubts that KID could actually train his doves to hunt down my hawk and afterwards I would have to deal with my pet's trauma. I don't want it to be afraid of his natural prey or doubt his ability as a predator."

* * *

Kaito managed to recover from his laugh-attack and continued with his training without fail. He smiled at the idea of moving his target. He enjoyed hide-and-seek games. The hawk idea surprised him, but not as much as Hakuba's rejection and explanation to it.

His mind instantly delivered him with an image of an aghast hawk desperately flapping his wings, running away for his life from a couple of mischievous doves closing in on it. Next he saw a of traumatized rainbow-colored hawk being comforted by an equally rainbow-colored detective. He burst into laughter and got hit a couple of times again - 'Ouch! Not in the face!'. He hastily exited the target area. He snorted wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. Kaito never though Hakuba was capable of making him laugh so hard on his own accord. Well… he clearly underestimated his classmate – that's for sure.

Still lightly laughing he undressed and started applying the anti-bruise ointment on his sore spots. It's been long since he was shot during this training. But still worth the laugh he had. Honestly speaking the picture he had was not impossible. He already was equipping his birds with colorful smoke-bombs so they could protect themselves from wild predators, so it was doable. He'd happily put a plan like that into action, but a dove hunting down a hawk would admittedly be 'going against natural order', so not this time. Anyway he should consider doing it sometime in the future.

* * *

The meeting lasted about two hours more during which the men made a few more suggestions on what the thief might be planning and how they could prevent him. Conan noticed that Hakuba seemed content only listening, speaking only when addressed personally. He frowned and after the meeting he approached him followed by Hattori.

"Hakuba-nichian, do you intend to attend the heist?" the boy chirped at the blonde who looked at him with puzzled expression.

"No, I'm afraid I might be busy on that night. But I do hope to read a report from it later on." He smiled softly to the child.

"Oh?" a passing officer spoke, as he overheard what was said "You'll miss it again Hakuba-kun? It will be, what? Fifth time now? You better stop slacking off or we will catch him without you." The man laughed cheerfully.

Hakuba smirked slightly amused "Well if you do I'll have to congratulate you on it then. I wish you luck."

"Haha, yeah we will need lots of it. Well too bad. Good luck with your studies." The officer waved him goodbye and left.

Conan looked puzzled at the blonde detective and started walking beside him "Nee? What did he mean by that? I've heard you were still at high school."

"Well yes, you've heard right." He answered opening the doors to the station heading out "Lately I've been trying to study KID and cases he was involved with. I'm trying to understand him and his actions and regretfully he doesn't provide me with sufficient answers himself." He explained and after a slight pause he added eyeing the boy "I believe there is more to him than meets the eye."

Hattori narrowed his eyes at the blonde detective's back "You have something specific in mind?"

Hakuba shrugged and looked back at him "Quite everything I must say. Starting from the most obvious question 'why does he steal'. Although he does seem to enjoy the thrill I highly doubt it's his sole reason. There are also some other… things around him that intrigue me but I'm afraid there is something I must attend to at the moment and I don't have time for this discussion." He smiled apologetically.

They stopped by a car so detectives said their goodbyes and seen him drive off.

"Wonder what he meant, eh?" Hattori mumbled heading towards the mall they left the girls at.

"I could make a guess. I'm more wondering on if he dug up any connections with me. I would hate to have to explain my situation to another teenage detective." Conan winced looking at his friend who laughed at the matter.

* * *

It wouldn't be easy to get inside the museum without a disguise, so Kaito came a few hours early, before the place was locked for visitors. He was glad to know that this time he would get to have some fun with Tantei-kun and Tantei-han again. This time he'd even get to see how they cooperate with one and other. Too bad Tantei-san was skipping… AGAIN! Kaito huffed annoyed turning off his monitor. Could he be serious when he said that he lost interest in catching him? Kaito grimaced while making last preparations for his today's tricks. It would be somewhat nice to have somebody who could understand him, but he knew how dangerous it could turn out. And he didn't want to risk anybody's safety. His own was enough of a sacrifice.

Despite the late hour the crowd gathered outside was impatiently waiting for the thief to show up. As the time grew near to the established hour the cheers grew louder until the area around the building was filled with music. Violin concert of classical Vivaldi's "Spring" flown from the speakers hidden around it. It was two minutes before the heist when people noticed white doves flying towards the museum from various directions. When there was only a few seconds left they all gathered flapping their wings on one spot above the building. Then they suddenly scattered as the music went silent when the clock hit 23:47 leaving a white-cladded figure floating in the air as the lights in the museum were shut down. The crowd yelled wildly as their idol was cowered in white smoke and disappeared a few moments later.

The atmosphere inside was tense when everybody gathered heard the music outside. Hattori twitched hearing the familiar tones. All eyes were focused on a bulletproof case holding the thief's target for tonight. They argued before on using a steel one instead but in the end they had to agree that it was important to actually see when the target will be gone without opening the box. In the end the idea of moving the target was rejected as the authorities of the museum didn't want to allow it. All were now listening through the police radio on the comments of what was going on outside. The detectives couldn't help but to grin on the beautiful show KID prepared for his fans this time.

"Stay sharp, he's already here." Nakamori's voice restored everybody back to their present duties as they started to look around suspiciously.

When the blackout occurred they all heard a loud-pitched sound preventing anybody from doing anything besides locking their ears. One by one sparklers were light in the room filling it with their gentle shine. When the sound ceased they noticed KID standing in silence on the glass case. He bowed gracefully at his audience and smiled with his crocodile grin, showing the gathered officers the Moon's Eye in his hand. He closed it briefly and the gem was gone. Then hell broke loose as the officers jumped at him encouraged by their keibu's orders. They all heard in the background fireworks being shot in the air as the thief started running.

And so the chase was on. Detectives broke from the group predicting the most probable escape route the kaitou might choose and surprised him a couple of times. Finally panting heavily only the tree of them ended up in a room in basement. And although KID was looking washed-out he was still smiling, clearly happy with the outcome.

"Give… give it back KID… we caught you…" Conan managed to say gasping.

The thief made a puzzled look and moved his gaze first to his wrists and then looked around confused. He smiled again at his pursuers shrugging his arms as he finished his inspection.

"I'm afraid you are wrong. I can hardly feel caught." He raised his free arms "See? Nothing here and no bars around me either."

"Oi, what are you playing at." Hattori sounded a bit annoyed by thief's behavior, raising a pipe he grabbed on the way "You have nowhere to run so just admit it and give back the jewel."

The short chat was enough for the kaitou to recover his breath as he spread his arms in regret "Well I'm afraid I can't give it back just yet. And I can assure you that I do have a couple of exits at hand…"

KID's eyes widened a bit as he saw Conan launch a ball from his belt. He calculated fast his possible choices. As he couldn't predict the exact angle the ball would fly everything was a gamble. If he dodged to the side he could be hit by it as it would be bouncing from behind. Which would hurt him more. He could try and dodge that as well but there was also Tantei-han with a metal pipe in his hand. By any means he couldn't afford being hit by that. He decided to stand his ground and crossed his arms before his face bracing for impact, it would hurt but he would still be able to run afterwards.

He heard a *boing* sound of a bouncing ball but didn't feel any pain. KID opened his eyes, he didn't remember closing and saw Hattori's back before him. Tantei-han was breathing heavily and was holding his pipe low gazing at Tantei-kun.

"Huh?" a shocked expression left KID's lips before he could stop it.

"What the hell Kudo?!" Heiji shouted at his friend ignoring the startled thief behind his back.

Conan gaped at him with open mouth "That was my question… What do you think you're doing Hattori?" he asked with a sigh.

'Well… this was unexpected…' KID tilled his head with a smile 'Maybe I should leave them..? Nah… It's too precious. Wish I had pop-corn… Should I eat pop-corn in a moment like this?' he wondered and shrugged mentally still listening to the quarrel going on between his detectives 'Hm… probably doesn't matter, Tantei-kun already knows I'm no gentleman anyway, so it's a good guess Tantei-han does too. Too bad I don't have any then~.' He sighed and focused his full attention back to the two boys.

"Hattori…" Conan pressed his nose bridge clearly annoyed "He is a criminal. Our job is to retrieve what he has stolen."

"But he saved our lives." Hattori grimaced "I know what our job is, but you shouldn't go around shooting balls at him like that."

"It's not like he'll die from it…" Conan turned his gaze away a bit embarrassed.

"Well… you know – those hellish balls hurt like a lot on impact." Kaito cut in starting to feel awkward not receiving any attention while in full KID attire.

Both detectives turned at him clearly shocked that he was still there. He grinned at them in return and waved his hand. All turned at the door when they heard rushed footsteps from that direction.

"I think you should…" Hattori turned to now empty spot where the thief was standing a moment ago "… leave? Heh…" he smirked but dropped the smile as he moved his gaze back to Kudo. Riiight…

* * *

Heiji never thought he'll have a fierce argue like that with his best friend over a thief. Afterwards he left Conan under a police officer's care and went out to clear his mind. He wasn't even sure what to think of it all to begin with. He felt in dept to KID and he never thought Kudo would attack him. Sure he understood the need to reclaim the jewel but… Not looking where he was going he bumped into somebody. The woman let out a slight squeak and nearly fell over. He caught her hand to help her stabilize herself. She smiled at him nicely.

"Thank you." She spoke with a pleasant, soft voice.

"Nah, don't mention it, I wasn't looking where I was going and –" he started wanting to leave her and continue his stroll but she cut him off smoothly.

"Oh, I didn't mean that…" she giggled "I meant, back at the heist." She added quietly narrowing her eyes as her face was split with a wide KID-like grin "You're a real life-saver…"

"KID -!" Heiji gasped, but the thief cut him off again.

"Hush… or would you like to be trampled by my fans? Call me 'Hana-chan' for now."

"Uhm… sure…" he mumbled staring at the person before him from head to toe visually astonished.

The thief was wearing loose, neutral pants and a short, opened jacket with a tight shirt, with a wide neckline showing enough to definitely identify a female chest. 'Hana' chuckled as the detective was staring at her/him and crooked hers/his hip placing a hand on it in an inviting manner.

"Oh~? So you like what you see~?" KID winked at the detective and started walking away from the crowd waving his hips.

Heiji averted his gaze from the female body abashed by his own behavior and followed "No, I just… ugh, you're a male or a female?"

The thief chuckled again and answered with a mysterious, amused tone "Who knows~…"

Heiji gave her/him a flat look regaining his composure "I think you're a guy…"

"Oh? And why is that Tantei-han~?"

"If I'm to call you 'Hana-chan' you call me by my name too…" he mumbled.

"Ok Hei-chan~!" KID winked clearly having the time of his life.

Heiji gave another flat look again "You're pushing it…" he sighed and continued "I had enough clues to figure you're a guy. And it's disturbing to see you dressed like this…" KID chuckled at his reactions, Heiji added a bit distressed "You didn't come here to tease me, right?"

Thief ceased laughing and shook his head with a smile "Nah, like I said – I wanted to thank you. Didn't expect you to save me back there."

"What are you talking about KI…Hana? You saved us before, risking your life. I just spared you a bump. I still owe you." He said with a soft smile.

KID laughed as they entered an alley and he took out of his pocket the Moon's Eye admiring it under the moonlight. Detective looked at it a bit disturbed. He nearly forgot that the person beside him was a thief who just completed a heist.

"You don't owe me anything. I was just in the area when I saw two of my favorite critics packing themselves into trouble. Was feeling generous so I tagged along and lend you a hand. Best don't count on it in the future and be careful."

"So it was really only a chance meeting? You weren't… you know, like stalking us or something?" Heiji asked with perplexed voice carefully watching thief's expression.

KID gave him an annoyed stare and threw the jewel at him "I consider myself a rather busy person. And you guys are not that interesting out off my heists. I know everything I want about you. And I wouldn't want to get involved in any murder you guys seem to trip over every not and then. It's disturbing how often it happens around you guys…"

"Riiight…" Heiji grimaced and looked at the jewel in his hand "Why did you give it back to me now? Back then you said, that you can't do it yet."

KID shrugged "Didn't feel like giving it back then, but I don't need it anymore."

Detective gave him a flat look and thief laughed cheerfully again. Heiji sighed stashing the jewel in his pocket and smiled sheepishly.

"You know… I could give you a tour if you ever came and visit Osaka…"

KID gave him a surprised look and laughed again stashing his hands in his pockets "Detective! Are you inviting an internationally wanted thief to actually come and steal at your hometown?"

Heiji snorted "I meant a casual visit, you know for rest and fun?"

"And I said I'm a busy person. I don't usually travel unless for work. And my job is fun, especially thanks for the amusement you guys provide." He answered with a wide smile.

Detective sighed "Whatever… There is no stopping you anyway if there would be anything you wanted to steal. So I might add a tour to it."

"Very considerate of you. I'll think about it." He promised with a warm smile.

"You do that." Heiji replied with a smile and added a bit more serious "By the way, you don't happen to know, who were these guys we were following back then, do you?"

KID gave him a flat look "You're kiddin' me, right? You were tailing them without any idea who they were?" as Heiji laughed slightly embarrassed the thief sighed "You're hopeless… And you're a detective, didn't you try to investigate it afterwards at least?"

"Well I live in Osaka and had to return there soon after we parted. Came back only recently and I am trying to investigate it right now, aren't I?"

"Yeah, but Chibi-Shin does live here…" the thief smiled slyly.

"Huh?! You know about Kudo? How?" Heiji was confused.

KID shrugged "I did say I know everything about you guys I wanted to know, didn't I? It would make me rather lousy at what I do if I couldn't discover a secret like that. Wasn't much of a challenge anyway… But know how to keep a secret, so don't worry."

"Alright…" Heiji mumbled "Anyway, so do you know who those guys were...?"

"I might…" he started and clucked looking at the entrance of the alley they were standing in.

"Heiji!" Osakan turned around hearing Kazuha's voice and saw her enter the alley they were in followed by Ran and Conan "Why did come here and who is this?"

"This –" Heiji started confused and distressed a bit as he was cut off by a male's voice with a strong foreign accent.

"The name's Shirohato Kai, nice to meet you~" the detective nearly snapped his neck turning to the clearly now male person beside him smiling politely at his friends "Sorry for kidnapping Heiji-kun. I met him at a case a while ago and wanted to chat a bit over this and that. It was a bit crowded back there so we moved here."

KID noticed Conan looking at him suspiciously as he introduced himself but it was Kazuha who spoke first.

"Um… no harm done. Nice to meet you, my name is Toyama Kazuha and this is Mouri Ran and Conan-kun." The girls bowed their heads slightly in a polite matter

Shrunken detective gave him an unimpressed stare "Nee, Kai-kun are you a fan of KID?"

"Nah, wouldn't call myself that Chibi." He smiled slightly seeing an annoyed vein plop on the child's head and he shrugged "I just find the heist enjoyable and visit them whenever I'm in the area."

"Oh yeah, where are you from if I may ask? You sound foreign…" Ran asked with interest.

"That obvious, huh? Well I guess my accent isn't perfect. I moved with my parents to France and been living there a while now…"

As the thief was talking with the girls Conan took Heiji to the side and whispered to him accusingly "It's him, right?"

Hattori gave a quiet sheepish smile "Heh… yeah, but he already returned me the jewel so let him be, alright?"

Conan sighed and looked at KID laughing with the girls from a joke he made and waved the matter off "Yeah ok, but tell me about it later." Heiji gave him a nod so they joined the casual conversation.

Walking beside two detectives didn't seem to stress out Kai in the slightest who chatted with the group cheerfully taking them to the bus station. Detectives were impressed on how detailed the description of his 'home town' Ecrins was. He actually even invited them to visit him someday to the girls delight and Conan couldn't help to wonder if the thief could pull it off… He figured with a smirk that he probably could. Kai bid them farewells as they reached the bus stop and left them disappearing into the night. Only after that Heiji remembered that he was left with the Moon's Eye in his pocket he had to return.

* * *

It was a nice night for Kaito. Smiling he was actually wondering if he heard lately of any interesting jewels in Osaka. He's going to have to ask Ji-chan to investigate on that. In a good mood he was heading home, as he looked to the side and thought about another detective who once again failed to show up on his event. It wouldn't hurt and make a slight detour to check up on him, right? Wondering if Tantei-san was still awake he changed direction he was headed to.

* * *

Lights were still light in Saguru's room. The audition on the radio on the heist has ended long ago and it was turned off now. The room was silent as Hakuba was trying and failing to not think about the thief and concentrate on another case which files he was trying to read. Was KID safe? There were no reports on him leaving the site. There were also no reports on gunshots, but considering how rarely there were any and the fireworks show it would be surprising if there were any. Detective's thoughts wandered on how often lately KID was using loud tricks. Was he trying to hide the fact he was being shot at? Why? Did he intend to avoid the panic it might cause or didn't he want the police involved? But they could help him… Or maybe… The police was somehow involved?

It was then when he heard a soft knock on his window. Uncertain if he heard right he stood up and approached it. After a few steps he froze staring at Kaitou KID in full attire standing on his windowsill with the window wide open. The thief smiled at him politely and tipped his hat.

"Good evening. Mind if I come in? I am aware it is rather late…" he asked with a soft perplexed voice.

The detective stared for a moment in silence at the shadowed man clothed in white standing before him. He has nearly forgotten the adrenaline rush this site gave him each time. He gulped trying to gain control over his fastening breathing and heartbeat. Eventually he cleared his throat and spoke with a startled voice.

"Good evening" Hakuba shook his head to recover quickly and spoke more calmly afterwards "Not at all, please come in."

KID tipped his hat and stepped inside smiling with his usual all-knowing smirk plastered on his face.

Hakuba narrowed his eyes and spoke with a slight tease "I'm rather shocked you asked for permission. You don't strike me as a person who hesitates before doing anything he pleases."

"None the less I usually do prefer to announce my visit." KID replied politely as his grin widened.

The detective chuckled "Yes, I suppose you do. Would you like some tea?"

"No thank you. I don't intend to stay long."

Absent-mindedly Hakuba noticed how different KID's pattern of speech was from Kuroba's. No wonder the thief was often seen as a gentleman even when he met with royalty.

"Alright. Do you mind telling me in that case to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"But of course. I was wondering why lately the events I hold lack your presence. I hope that it isn't caused by something bad?" he asked with a concerned voice.

Hakuba raised his eyebrow "You miss my presence? That is rather odd for a thief to miss a detective."

KID shrugged "I enjoy the challenge my critics provide me, therefore I am rather disappointed when some of them are not present. And also in the end I am no mere thief." He smiled wickedly "But speaking about odd things… As a detective shouldn't you be trying to catch me, instead of offering me tea?"

"I don't see you anymore as a mere criminal and I don't wish to see you behind bars." He chuckled "Furthermore I believe that even if you somehow got caught it would turn out impossible to contain you. Just like catching a wind."

KID smiled amused by the complement and tipped his hat. As the thief didn't seem to be willing to say anything Hakuba continued narrowing his eyes.

"You fascinate me. Criminal helping others, refraining himself from doing any purely evil deeds. Despite all odds upholding his 'no one gets hurt' policy… Although unfortunately that rule doesn't seem to apply to you yourself, now does it? I know that from time to time you do get hurt."

KID let out a soft chuckle and spoke with a tone usually reserved for lecturing children "My dear Tantei-san… You should know that it is impossible to hurt a phantom. So there is no point in trying to count me in this rule, now is there?"

"Yes, that is true." Hakuba confirmed easily "You can't hurt a phantom, but you can hurt the person behind his mask."

The thief clucked and smiled softly tilting his head "My, my Tantei-san, you surprise me."

The detective frowned taken-aback "Aren't you going to deny it?"

KID shock his head slowly still smiling "I do not tend to lie or deny the truth, although it may seem sometimes like that."

Hakuba stayed silent for a moment as KID was watching him with interest.

Finally he gasped and whispered in awe "So that's how it is… It's all just the same riddle..? You are currently not the person under the mask because you are a phantom..?" KID grinned at him confirming "A nameless kaitou who somebody else gave a name... And how long do you intend to stay like this?" He asked not expecting an answer.

"As long as I don't finish my job." KID replied simply, instead of his usual 'Figure it out yourself.'

"And then?"

KID shrugged "There is no need for a phantom that has achieved his goal."

Hakuba nod his head and sighed staring earnestly into thief's violet eyes in silence before saying what was on his mind the whole time "I'd like to help you."

KID raised his eyebrows and crocked his head "Oh~? Tantei-san~… I didn't know you were thinking of switching to the other side of the law~…" he was clearly amused by the idea.

"That's not what I meant…" The detective was annoyed by thief's assumptions "I know there is more going on in the sidelines. You are being targeted on your heists and you are being shot at. I know also that you tend to help the police without taking any credit for it. I know you won't tell me anything about it even if I asked you…" KID smiled at him confirming this "But even so, I want to help. More than I want to know the truth I don't want you dead." He stressed his last sentence.

KID stood silent for a moment thinking before he responded with a sincere tone "I'm flattered Tantei-san, really I am." And then he spoke with a lighter, a bit teasing tone "But in the end I am a thief and nothing more. Don't you think it would be strange for a detective to help a criminal? It would be…" there was a slight pause as KID's smile faded a bit, his eyes widened slightly, as he finished with a blank voice "… 'going against the natural order'." He echoed the words of Akako's premonition in awe. Thief backed out a bit looking at the detective. Could that be it?

"KID? Is something wrong?" Hakuba asked worried.

A reassuring smile showed on kaitou's returned poker face as he shook his head slowly "No Tantei-san, I just remembered something unpleasant. Sorry to make you worry." He said with a warm voice and shrugged "I am afraid I'll have to leave now. It's getting late and it's time for all good kaitou to retire for the night." He tipped his hat and jumped on the windowsill.

"Wait!" Hakuba spoke urgently afraid he wouldn't get the chance to meet the thief like that anymore "Will I see you again?"

KID turned his head and smiled softly "You will. If you will come to my heist, that it. Good night." And without waiting for response he jumped out blending into the night.

"Good night…" the detective responded quietly with regret to the silent night.

* * *

**Wow… it turned out to be the longest chapter ever xD Funny thing as you know what you want to write about but can't find the right words and you end up with writing more than you intended to xD Took me longer to write because of this, but I hope you can forgive me ;)**

**Aww… poor Haku-chan doesn't know what happened and he was doing so well… *sob, sob* I must be a really cruel person to torment them so much xD**

**Site note on a name mentioned by KID: Shirohato - Shiro no hato - white dove ;)**

**Now I have to think hard on what to present you in the next chapter… xD Probably gonna be lot's of inner thoughts ;)**

* * *

**_See you next chapter *bow* ;)_ **


	6. Under the dove's cover

Disclaimer: I don't own MK or DC, or any other manga/anime to be exact. I just like to let my imagination run loose :D

**_Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story._ **

**This chapter I'll present you - as promised - some inner thoughts and a bit of building relations and how they managed with all that happend last time.**

**After the last chapter I ended with a writing frenzy and gone writing this (it's hellish hot here and I'm stuck at home to survive somehow! I can tell you it's no fun being as heat-sensitive as I am :/).  
**

**So without further delay –** **_Please enjoy and review! :)_ **

* * *

**Chapter 6: Under the dove's cover**

 

Conan and Heiji sneaked out on a stroll to be able to freely talk about their encounter with KID the other night. And the first thing Heiji asked slightly perplexed was…

"KID is a guy, right?"

Kudo threw him a suspicious and unsure gaze "Yeah… why?"

"And you're sure about that..?"

"Hattori… why exactly are you asking me a question like that?" Conan stopped and looked straight at his friend.

"Well… when we met he was a convincing woman. So I just wanted to be sure you know… It's disturbing how convincing his disguise can be." He felt a shiver run down his spine.

Conan snorted and continued walking "Yeah, I'm positive about it. And you don't have to tell me about it. One time he disguised himself as Ran and I honestly couldn't tell the difference… And he was wearing a short dress back then. Definitely disturbing. Let's not go with that trail of thought…" he proposed and Heiji agreed easily.

After that the dark-skinned detective summed up for his friend briefly his talk with the thief. Conan snorted at the idea of giving KID a tour around Osaka but wasn't personally against it. If the thief actually agreed it could be an opportunity to observe him without the need to chase him around. Assuming of course that he wouldn't drive them crazy. Which was alarmingly likely. Maybe not such a good idea after all? Heiji laughed off his concerns but visually started to wonder about the matter.

"Anyway, just before you guys showed up he assured me that at the warehouse it was just a chance meeting. I think he might have an idea on who we stumbled upon there, but didn't have a chance to get a clear answer out of him. Talking with him is sometimes a pain…" he sighed heavily "He sure knows how to change a topic."

"Oh yeah. You gotta hate him sometimes for that and his distractions. Understand now why I sometimes want to put a soccer ball in his face?" Conan asked with amusement carefully watching his friend's reaction.

Heiji grimaced clearly not fully content with the idea yet "Yeah, maybe. Think you just somehow surprised me with that. Haven't seen you going so fierce with anybody who isn't a direct threat before."

"He is a threat…" Conan cut in with a tired expression "He's a threat for my sanity."

Hattori laughed at that "So we're cool about that?"

The boy smiled relieved at his friend "Couldn't have it the other way."

"Glad to hear that." The Osakan smiled and sighed "So, you think he knows something about THOSE guys? He does claim to know a whole lot about various stuff…" the way he stressed that word didn't leave any doubts on who he meant.

Conan frowned "No idea." The boy admitted easily "I'm sure he isn't one of them. And I'm positive he didn't know anything when I first made him cross his paths with them, but now?" he shrugged "I was actually wondering about it myself the other day. But I'm not sure if I want him sniffing around them if he didn't already. You've seen how wild and crazy he is. He is a menace but I don't want him to end up dead. He's…" the boy wavered searching for the right word.

"Too cheerful? Fun?" He suggested and Conan gave him a nod with a soft smile "Yeah… the reports don't cover it. Got the feeling he's like a runaway from a fairy tale after that 'dance-heist' and he confirmed that just yesterday. Hard to imagine that on every other day he's just a regular guy…"

"I doubt it." The shrunken detective chuckled "He's probably driving everybody at his school crazy on daily basis."

"School? Don't tell me you know who he is?" Heiji looked at his friend surprised.

"Nah… Not even sure honestly if I want to know anymore. I just know that he is more or less our age and roughly resembles me."

"He looks like you? Freaky… But you don't want to know who he is? Didn't you want him caught?" he tilt his head looking at his friend.

"Not sure. He did help me numerous times now, a couple of times saving my life. And apart from that, I'm not sure if there is a prison that could contain him…" He chuckled "I've witnessed him open an impenetrable vault within minutes Hattori… To be more ridiculous he did that to save Jirokichi-ojisan's dog." He sighed with a smile and continued "I don't honestly think that, unless kept in a coma, he would stay locked for long against his will. And after escaping he could just as easily discard his identity and even his own face. In the end he would probably end up more untraceable than he is now that way. But I'm not sure if he wouldn't… you know – loose the 'fairy' part about him in the process. Hiding all the time would probably would make him take some compromises. It would be just… so unnatural and kind of sad…" He shook his head after giving his words a short thought "So actually no, I don't want him caught. He's not a bad guy after all, so I only want to chase him and ruin his plans." He grinned at his friend to counteract then grim atmosphere his words caused.

Heiji smiled in return giving some thought to his friend's words. Afterwards they talked some more about the thief. They wondered what information on him could have Hakuba dug out, but they didn't have any way to contact the blonde and ask him that. Then they continued on wondering about who were the guys they tailed a while ago and decided to use Hattori's influence to get a full access the reports covering that. Unfortunately before they could go with that plan they received and angry call from the girls and had to return to the agency, deciding on spending the day with them and postponing the visit to the station on the next day.

* * *

He could only be grateful to Akako for making her stupid premonition. Not that he would tell her that. Only thanks to remembering it he avoided nearly falling for Hakuba's trap. And Tantei-han's, when he thought about it. Happily jumping in for a tour invitation? Excellent idea, maybe they add stylish bracelets to it? Not that he would get caught that easily, but allowing 'the demons to enclose' on him like that? He shook his head remembering how he came for a visit to Tantei-san. And what? Maybe next time he would actually agree to the tea? He must have been getting really tired lately to act like that. He reminded himself about the idea to chase his Task Force. Yeah, definitely he had quite a few stupid ideas going on lately. Probably high time to take matters more seriously. He sighed heavily. Only it wasn't his style to act too serious.

He was watching a record from the heist made by a camera attached to his dove to cheer himself up. Kaito enjoyed the amazed looks on his fans faces. He loved the amusement and joy he brought to them and hoped he could do it someday as Kuroba Kaito, the son of magnificent Kuroba Toichi. But as for now he couldn't risk officially being more than an aspiring magician or he would probably end up dead as his dad. He turned off a site with an official invitation to the magic's championships to all illusionists in the world. It would be held in half year from now. He knew his dad won it when he was 20 years old. Kaito could probably best him and win it now… But the thing was he couldn't attend it as long as he was a thief. He turned on a KID-fan forum and read some new posts on his latest heist to avert his thoughts.

* * *

Hakuba wondered if he could visit Kuroba, but as he had no official reason he decided against it in order to wait until he saw him at school. That at least gave him the time to think how to approach his classmate. He was pondering on how his talk with the thief would reflect on his relationship with the magician. Recalling KID's reactions and his sudden departure made him worry about it. Worst thing was that he didn't know what caused it. All seemed going in the right direction, until the thief reminded himself of something 'unpleasant' and backed out. Was it somehow related to Hakuba? As it was their first conversation like this he doubted it. Whatever it was, it must have been something big, as it seemed to spook out the fearless KID.

Hakuba roamed his room like a caged animal considering again the possibility of meeting Kuroba. Maybe he could use Aoko for it? That would be rather low, but should work. And at least he would be able to see how the magician was acting now. With that thought he picked up the phone and dialed the girls number.

* * *

It wasn't easy for Aoko to convince Kaito to meet with her. He tried hard to excuse himself about being busy. She actually had to blackmail him to finally receive an agreement from his side. She didn't like doing so, but Hakuba-kun sounded somewhat distressed about it. Aoko bit her lip wondering if something bad happened between those two. And when they finally started to enjoy themselves together! She was irritated. She liked them both and wanted to be able to spend time together. Kaito was like the most important person, after her father, in her life and Hakuba-kun helped her dearly to deal with and accept her childhood friend's recent lack of time for her. He turned out to be a wonderful support and her second best friend, so she didn't want to be forced to choose between them. Moreover she feared that if it came to that Kaito would willingly back out and she couldn't have that. That's why she was determined to help them overcome whatever trouble they were dealing with.

* * *

He didn't want to act today as a cheerful and carefree magician. It clearly stood in opposition to his resolve. Moreover he wanted to sulk a bit. He had every right to, right? And he couldn't. He was considering calling Chat Noir for some tips (haha, oh yeah he could imagine it "Rose-sempai~! Teach me how to act as a serious kaitou~ - pleeeease!" Ha… ha… Yeah... so not happening. But still amusing). And then Ahoko called and blackmailed him into going to a mall together. If he didn't come she would blurt out his weakness to their whole class. He totally had to learn how to deal with... with f... finny things... Yeah, let's stick with that phrase. He could only imagine himself in full KID regalia running for his life, screaming like a girl from his detectives chasing him with scaly monsters in their hands… Not an amusing picture at all. He's father would roll in his grave if that ever happened. So he had no choice and had to go with her. Although that way he would probably contribute in world's sales on sea monsters as every police station in the world and every decent criminal would want to be armed in those in case they would have to face him. That was terrifying, yet somehow amusing thought… He could cry at the image of Snake and other assassins coming after him throwing finny monsters at him.

Alright – so he had to admit it – the serious kaitou idea? That won't be working with him anytime soon. He was a prankster and a humorous guy at heart and he loved it about himself. In the end it helped him so far with any trouble he faced, so it will somehow workout in the future. He just had to keep stupid thoughts in his mind and refrain himself from putting them into action. Easy… probably. He only had to identify them fast enough. With that resolve he finished his training and went to prepare for the evening with Aoko. Kaito felt like pranking her some as a revenge for blackmailing him and that was exactly what he was going to do.

Or not… Kaito was staring with annoyance at Hakuba standing beside Aoko on his doorstep. He felt tempted to shut the door in their faces and head back to his room. But Kuroba Kaito had no reason to act like that, heck – not even Kaitou KID had any official reason to act like that (aside from the usual thief-detective issue of course). So he settled with a heavy sigh and stepped outside closing door behind him. He didn't decide how to act around the detective from now on, figuring he'd just start ignoring him more, but that wouldn't be working now, so he had to improvise.

"What is he doing here?" he asked with tired annoyance in his voice.

"Aoko asked him to come." She cut in fast before Hakuba could say a word and she smiled at her friend "We had fun the last few weeks together, didn't we?"

"Maybe you had, I just went with the flow." He mumbled crossing his arms on his chest.

"Oh come on, don't be like that. The whole class noticed by now that you stopped pranking Hakuba-kun so much. I know you started to like him. So what happened? You looked fine just yesterday…"

Kaito huffed rolling his eyes "I stopped pranking him because he's boring. Mister stick-in-the-butt is so unamusing it makes me wanna cry. I was only happy because he stopped with his idiotic accusations and stalking me finally. Doesn't mean I like him or want to squeeze my tight timetable to meet him. If that's what you want, be my guest. Just don't try to make me do it. He should be content enough that I didn't report his actions to the police for all that he had done. But his daddy would probably cover it all up, so there was no point in it." As he talked he let all his frustrations and anger run loose and overwhelm him.

Kaito remembered all negative feelings he had for the blonds' actions, slipping also the grief of being KID in. He wanted to make the detective angry and hurt him to be able to push him away as strongly and as fast as he could, so he didn't stop his tongue from splatting harsh words at people before him.

Aoko's eyes widened at those words. She was shocked and didn't want to believe what she heard. Hakuba was also stunned to hear what he had and see the magician snap like that. But he frowned as he saw the girl's reaction and decided to cut in.

"Kuroba watch your words. I'm sorry for all the wrong that I made. But if you have a problem with me, you should talk about it with me, and me only, not take it out in front of Aoko." His tone was strict and face serious.

Kaito threw him a gaze that made the detective step back with fear. "Don't even try and order me around." The magician growled madly at the blonde.

Hakuba didn't dare to blink as he stared in those gleaming, predatory eyes suddenly aware how fast KID could move if he wanted to. He remembered the recent video of his fight with Hattori and how he managed to precisely cut thin threads on a moving target. He realized how easy it would be for him to hit a larger target like a vein and turn a dance into a massacre. And what if he had a larger blade? The thief dealt with assassins and dodged bullets on daily basis. It hit him to understand how dangerous the man before him was. The heists were like toying with a tiger, until he chose to finally turn it into a slaughter. He wanted to run under this fearful gaze but didn't dare to move his body. And just like that the terrifying predator was hit on the back of its head and the spell was broken.

"Ahoko! What did you hit me for?!" The harmless magician whined with annoyance.

"Bakaito! Why did you glare like that on Hakuba-kun after insulting him?!" she yelled at him angrily.

Saguru took a deep breath, not noticing he was holding it till now. He looked at the moaning magician not feeling any of the dread that just took over him. He was confused. What was that all about? He knew that the magician was annoying but harmless. Or was he? He certainly had the ability to be not only unstoppable but also deadly. Hakuba grimly wondered why it had never occurred to him before. He was suddenly shook to reality by frowning Aoko shaking his arm.

"Mouu, Hakuba-kun are you alright? What happened? Did Bakaito really hypnotize you or something?" she sounded worried.

"Ahoko I told you I don't hypnotize people. That would be cheating. I prefer to trick them when they are fully aware." Kaito snorted amused.

"Bakaito! Tricking people and cheating is the same thing!"

"No it's not! It's two different things! Oi Hakuba! Tell her it's different and that I didn't hypnotize you or anything." The magician looked at him with his usual half amused half annoyed stare.

Hakuba snorted laughing off in his mind his recent fright "It's quite fine Aoko-kun. I just…" he turned his gaze back at Kuroba showing a light smile "…'remembered something unpleasant'."

She huffed showing and annoyed face but they both saw she was glad "Alright, but as apology you're buying us both ice-cream!" she pointed her finger at the magician.

"Whaa? Oh come on! I have my expenses… I'm not some millionaire to be treating everybody like that…" Kaito moaned walking beside his two classmates away from his home.

"I quite agree that you do owe us that at least." Hakuba snorted amused by the situation.

"Sheshhh… Fine, but only one scoop each…" the magician surrendered stashing his hands in his pockets with an unamused look and after a while he added looking at the road before him "Oi, Hakuba… Sorry for snapping at you like that…"

"It's quite alright… I probably deserved it for some time now." He answered with a comforting smile to the abashed magician.

* * *

Kaito was honestly shocked. Who thought that all it would take to scare off the annoying detective was to stare at him madly? It all would have been so easy if he figured it out sooner… But he probably shouldn't overuse it. He figured it was some kind of a phobia for Hakuba and he could sympathize with him. Besides if the detective ever figured his scaly creature problem he could want to take revenge… Yep, he would keep the stare thing as a last resolve weapon. Definitely.

And why did he quote him? Kaito frowned. He didn't see any similarities in those situations… Or did he give a scared look on his face while quoting Akako… That wasn't good if he broke his poker face like that as KID. He should keep it under more control. He couldn't have people seeing a dread expression on KID. So unprofessional of him to go so much out of character. Back to poker face training? Seems so.

Anyway it wasn't going to serve any good for his cause to apologize to the detective, but it would be too awkward without it. Worse was that Aoko decided to get herself involved. It was going to be a pain to shove the blonde away. Especially that despite everything he wasn't sure he wanted. But he had to… And a kaitou should always put what he needed before what he wanted. He had to keep his desires and emotions in check or it would turn out bad.

* * *

And in the end he did prank Aoko at the mall and Hakuba as well. There was a visible distance between them that worried the girl, but in the end all three of them had lots of fun and laughs, so she believed it's going to be fine. It was probably just some boy-stuff she didn't understand. The staring contest they had at the beginning proved that to her. She was relieved when the magician apologized and most of the tension was gone. Who knows? Maybe he just needed to let it all out?

It wasn't often for Aoko to see Kaito as fierce like he did. But she wasn't scared of him. The few times before she has seen him like that was when he was protecting her. She knew he would never look at her like that and the thought that he could act like that was somehow making her feel somewhat more secure with him. She smiled softly at the back of her childhood friend who just walked her home and now was just going back to his own.

* * *

Hakuba was heading home alone after he parted with his classmates. That meeting was definitely fruitful with information. Apparently Kuroba did decide to distant himself from the detective for some reason strong enough to throw him off balance. It was the first time that he had seen the magician snap like he did. Hakuba pondered more about the dread feeling he received then. Maybe it was just his imagination? Aoko didn't seem worried or shocked by anything Kuroba showed. Detective had to admit that lately he was concerning himself maybe a bit too much with the thief and he wasn't sleeping well. He wasn't sure anymore of what he saw. I must have been only his imagination. KID could be dangerous, had all the ability to be, true. But the thing was he wasn't, and wouldn't be. Ever. And with the strong resolve he pushed away the quiet, persistent thought saying otherwise.

* * *

**I love writing Kaito's inner thoughts and trolling himself in the process xD**

**So how does the premonition sound like to you now?**

**_And so the clock ticks quietly as the time grows near…_ **

_***evil chuckle* See you next chapter *bow* ;)** _


	7. Sparks and shadows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own MK or DC, or any other manga/anime to be exact. I just like to let my imagination run loose :D
> 
> Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story.
> 
> This chapter will push Kaito a bit to the background, so I will be presenting you more about his detectives. It's high time they met more than just briefly, don't you think?
> 
> Huh... Sunday turned out definitely too hot for me and you know how it is… I'm just glad I managed to get through with Chapter 6 fast enough before it hit me ;)
> 
> So without further delay…
> 
> Please enjoy and review! :)

The night only made Hakuba more uneasy about the whole situation. Everything that happen the other day made him reconsider all that he thought he knew. Until now Hakuba was just happy for his breakthrough with the magician and he didn't wonder about it much, giving a lot of credit to his own actions. But maybe Kuroba's sudden friendliness wasn't a good sign at all? Detective was starting to doubt everything he figured till now. If he was holding so much anger towards Saguru, that suddenly exploded yesterday, could he really be sincere before? He feared that it all might be a sign that KID was finally breaking mentally due to his stress. That or because lately there was going on even more in the background than the detective was aware of. And none of the option was good.

Hakuba preoccupied with his endangered relationship with Kuroba didn't read any of the reports on KID's heist on Saturday. He only managed to see a replay of the show that the thief prepared for his fans outside of the building on television. Hakuba smiled watching the magnificent performance. He couldn't and wouldn't believe somebody capable of inventing and preparing something so beautiful could turn out violent. This thought helped him once again push away his scare the magician gave him and was still making him uneasy. After a breakfast he went for a walk heading to the station, he wanted to check if something unusual and unwelcomed slipped again into the heist notes.

* * *

The blond detective was frowning looking at the scattered notes on the desk before him. He couldn't find anything disturbing this time. He wasn't sure if it meant that this time there wasn't any outer party present or if they were able to avoid being discovered in the slightest. He knew that KID was fine enough to visit him after about an hour and a half after making his escape, but then again he couldn't help but to start wondering what kept him from coming faster. He must have been tired after all the running the reports claimed he'd been through. It wouldn't be surprising if after making his escape he would want to get his rest. And despite that something kept him wandering gods-only-knew-where for quite the time. Hakuba cursed under his breath the fact that he couldn't ask the thief directly about the matter.

He was pondering over this when he noticed voices nearing the archives room he was sitting in. As he raised his head the doors opened reveling an officer followed by Hattori-kun and Conan entering the room.

"Oh? You were still here Hakuba-kun?" the officer (Yamada-san as Saguru recalled) asked with a perplexed voice.

"Yes, sorry about that. Wanted to check it out closely. Should I leave? I would hate to intrude and I am roughly finished anyway." He asked with a polite smile eyeing the boys who were looking at him in return.

"Nah, there's no need for you to leave." Heiji answered waving his hand and turned to the officer "Yamada-san, if you could show me the files…"

"Of course." The officer walked in between the rows filled with papers followed by the dark skinned teen.

As they left the blond noticed that Conan crept beside him and was eyeing the papers scattered on his desk.

"Neee… Hakuba-nisan? What are you reading? KID heist report?" the boy chirped with childish curiosity.

Hakuba observed silently the tiny detective with interest for a few moments. He knew it was no mere child. Not only did he have a few occasions to observe his deductions clearly too advance for a person his age, but also reading random reports he stumbled on had a few refers to him. No wonder he was such a fierce enemy for KID. The chirping tone did not suit the picture at all.

"Yes, you are quite correct. I'm sure you can recall that, much like I've said before, I haven't been present there myself. That's why I came here today to study and see what happened during my absence."

"And did you find anything interesting?"

Hakuba looked into the deep blue not-child's eyes pondering if it was worth to take the gamble. What would the boy do if he knew what dangers KID was facing? He was a dangerous enemy now, probably one of the few who actually stood a chance in catching Kuroba. Could this knowledge make him more neutral, or even turn into an ally? Saguru sure could use some help… He decided that it was worth to try. In the end it wasn't dangerous for his classmate if he didn't slip in any info of the thief himself.

"Not this time." He stated with a blank expression carefully observing growing curiosity on the child's face.

"This time?" His expression for a brief moment was sharp, no more child-like and the blond didn't miss it.

Hakuba smirked at that and gave him a slight nod, averting his gaze towards the alley were the officer and Hattori went in. When he looked back he could see apprehension in the child's eyes. Saguru stood up and headed to the alley, he's been to many times in now and picked out a few of most recent or significant reports on the heists. Then he went to pick a few more – not related to KID himself, but suspicious enough for the detective.

When he returned he noticed that Hattori and Conan are sitting at another desk studying their own, single file. Hakuba shoot a glance at other alleys and acknowledged that Yamada-san was gone. After that he headed to his own desk and placed the files he picked on its edge. He gathered all the loose papers he didn't need any more into one file. With a corner of his eye he noticed Conan elbowing his friend. They both stood up and moved to his desk, waiting patiently for his explanations. He opened a few files at the interesting notes and slid them towards his fellow detectives to read. Hakuba was carefully watching changes in their expressions, their frowning eyebrows and silent questions shining in their eyes. Holding his hands on a few still closed reports he started without any introduction, as he was sure it wasn't needed and would only lessen the impact of his words. He spoke with a quiet, steady and dead serious voice.

"He's being targeted. I believe it's going on now for more than one and a half year now." He tilled his head pointing at the files in Hattori's hands "Moreover the reports are being messed with or altered. Gunshots, bullet holes, witness statements and such are only sometimes mentioned in single police notes. Here…" he opened and slid towards them the report on the 'dance heist' "This is my report. I've mentioned here, adding picture documentation on bullet holes I've found in the building wall he ran on. As you can see there is nothing like that anymore." To his content he saw shock in their eyes as they were listening to him.

"The shootings are not all that is going on." He opened and slid another file "I've witnessed and read about a few accidents during the heists. I don't have any proof but seeing how neat and detailed he always is I can't imagine him allowing something like that to happen."

"Shocked with it all I have investigated further, checking random files and reports not related with him directly. Of course I haven't covered all of them, but I have found a few particularly interesting." He opened the remaining files and slid them to his fellow detectives "I've noticed they are mentioning an unidentified, external help mentioned in many of them. Naturally I didn't link all of them to him, but a few including those unequivocally seem to be his work. I can hardly imagine that there are many people capable and willing to act this way."

Heiji let out a huff in awe "Seems he really is a busy person…"

"I couldn't agree more." Hakuba gave a nod and sighed "Obviously he himself didn't confirm any of this. He rather tried to distract me and push me of the track. Seems he doesn't want anyone involved, that is to say more than he already involves everybody with his notices."

"This can't be right…" Conan shook his head browsing the reports briefly "It would mean that he is dodging bullets. The sheer idea of doing it is improbable, but also without any warning? That's impossible. And what you say and this…" he pointed at a file "…would indicate he did that last time, while running up a wall. I've seen the video report, he's been facing the roof."

Hakuba nod his head "I know. But I've seen the video as well. I knew what I was looking for so barely, but I did notice him doing a sidestep. At roughly the same spots I've found the bullets. Although it concerns me that I've found three bullets and noticed him move five times. I expect that he probably does get hit from time to time." He sighed and continued "And I don't suspect he was wearing a vest capable of stopping a long-range shot during your match." He moved his gaze to Hattori who gave a slow nod "Ones like that are rather stiff and he wouldn't be able to move the way he did."

The blonde sighed heavily and focused his gaze on the files "Seeing as the things are I don't know who to trust with the information I've found. I've been trying to identify who is manipulating the reports, but it was in vain. I believe it must be a group of people capable of covering their tracks. But I can't rule out the possibility that it's his or his allies doing. There are also very few files that I could never link with him, concerning an outer force. But rather mischievous it's more… sinister." He slowly shook his head exhaling heavily "Something big is going on and as long as I don't see the full picture I'm afraid my actions might disturb the delicate mechanism and cause irreversible damage of an unknown magnitude."

He moved his gaze back at the detectives and stared at them with sincerity "Honestly speaking I wouldn't be telling you all this either but…" He visually hesitated for a moment recalling his last meeting with KID, the revelations of the previous day and Kuroba's friendly behavior he's shown for the last few weeks "Lately I've noticed that he has started to act differently. I don't know the cause of this. But I'm afraid that either something big is going to happen soon or he is reaching his limit. Each possibility, concerning his possible involvements, might end up as something dangerous. I figured it would be best if you were at least aware of it…"

"And you hope for our help, right?" Hattori stated straightforward smiling sheepishly "Come on, the guy has saved our lives. For him…" he tilled his head at Conan "…it's been already a couple of times. We ain't gonna leave him hanging knowing he's in trouble. No matter what he says."

Hakuba thought about it for a moment slightly shocked by the open confession. But eventually he sighed shaking his head in neglect "I honestly could use some help, that is true. But I don't know if I can truly trust you in this matter. I did take a gamble sharing what I already have. I know that there is more than meets the eye about you." He threw a gaze at Conan who bit his lip at it. "And as long as I don't know what it is I can't take any more risks."

A heavy silence has fallen between them until the boy finally let out a deafened sigh and looked up meeting Hakuba's bronze eyes.

"Yes, you are right. I need you to understand that I hold this secret to keep those around me safe. It's dangerous to even know it and I didn't want to get you entangled in it Hakuba-kun. But after what you told us I can't help but wonder if the thing you've discovered KID is involved in isn't related to my… problem. If so, I guess you are already involved. And we probably could use the knowledge you have as well as help, if you will be willing to offer. So I'd like to know more. I can assure you, just like Hattori just said, that neither of us has any intentions of putting him behind bars."

Hakuba averted his gaze towards the single door in the room. After considering he turned his look back at his fellow detectives "Perhaps we should continue this conversation then elsewhere. I'd like to invite both of you to my home. I keep copies of everything important I've stumbled on during my research there. Or do you have something you have to do here still?" He threw a glance at a desk at which the two detectives were reading their own files before.

Hattori shook his head "Nah, we're done with that." And after considering he added "Although you might find it interesting yourself. It's most likely not related to the big picture, but it is to the person in it."

Hakuba gave a nod "Thank you for pointing it for me then. But I'd rather not split my focus if it's not related. I would be content if you could brief it for me thou."

They gathered all the files and placed them back to their spots. After they finished clearing they left the archive and went together to Hakuba's mansion. Heiji and Conan turned off their phones wondering wryly how much will they regret it later.

* * *

The building was an impressive western-style structure. After they entered Hakuba led them to his room and left them alone to get tea and some snacks, letting them have a private chat. After Hattori checked if nobody was on the other side of the door he spoke quietly to his friend.

"So Kudo? You're going to tell him?"

Conan sighed heavily sitting on a chair "Seems that's the best option. My personal problem is less of an issue here then the whole Organization. And if his research really did lead him on their track then I believe it would be best to show him the wider picture since I don't think he would just drop it. And digging blindly around it would eventually put him in danger. Also we could use any new information on them as well as some help. So it should be worth it. The problem is that if his assumptions are correct then we're going to need KID and his side of story as well…" the not-child frowned.

"Yeah…" Heiji turned his gaze at the door "I wonder what he meant saying that the guy has been acting differently. He's been missing lots of heists lately so where did he get that info… You think he can be in contact with him?" he averted his gaze at his friend.

"Wouldn't rule it out. Although I doubt he'll tell us right away if he does. Would be too dangerous for them both. Best not press him yet and see what he's willing to give. I would like you to let me talk and don't mention the FBI or Haibara… yet." He sighed heavily averting his gaze to the ceiling "Gods… There is so much I'm not sure what to start with myself…" The Osakan smiled sheepishly at him and nod his head to that.

They both went silent waiting for their host to return.

* * *

It was a bit awkward when Hakuba returned and poured tea as none of them knew how to start. Seeing that the blond did already share a lot on his own behalf Conan sighed heavily and decided to start with introducing himself. Needless to say it did surprise the Brit, it could have made sense but was just impossible. As Hattori confirmed that the boy continued his story telling the startled detective about the poison, the existence of the Organization, their codenames and links the teens confirmed and suspected. Hakuba swallowed hard noticing the similarities and stating them forward. The showed them the odds he has found in his gathered files that indicated a presence of an unknown, sinister power. He told them about his silent investigation about people surrounding his father. He couldn't find much as he had to be careful but… to his dread he did notice some hard to explain details. Hakuba confessed that till now he was hoping it was just KID's doing.

* * *

Later he let them browse through all the information the Brit gathered so far. Seeing it through was both disturbing but somewhat reassuring. As things were it seemed that the Organization, or another force they were dealing with here, had indeed the power to manipulate what was going on inside or silence the gunners the thief helped to catch but they didn't seem to do more than covering their own tracks. The hope was that they weren't able to. Hattori promised to take a closer look how things looked in the Osakan police force.

After they finished with that they agreed that the future meetings shouldn't be in such obvious places, because they could never be sure when and if KID decided to look into either of them. They didn't want to alarm him that they started cooperating with each other. It was clear that they needed his trust and considering Hakuba's claim about the thief's recent change in behavior this news would probably put him more at bay than he already was. It was clear that they had to proceed with caution about him. And think of a way to approach him.

Although Hattori wasn't sure if he could manage to come on next weekend, Hakuba and Kudo decided they would meet then. They would all stay in constant phone contact if anything came up.

After they left the two friends shared their observations on their new ally. It was clear to them that the blond did put much faith in the thief for some reason. They could only wonder how much he knew about KID and if it was something they could use. They agreed grimly that all of the Brit's findings were valuable although not all was news to them. Shinichi decided he would not involve Haibara just yet and wouldn't tell her about their new ally. He was wondering whether tell Hakuba about the FBI, but decided it was not important at the moment.

* * *

Next day at school Kaito, much to Hakuba's surprise, didn't prank him at all. Instead he was now fully ignoring the Brit. When Saguru tried speaking to him he just acted like he didn't hear him at all. When he tried to touch him the magician just slipped out of his reach, untouchable much like a ghost or his phantom-self. And when Aoko tried to but-in to make him notice Hakuba he just pranked her really hard to distract her and after school he literally disappeared neglecting their routine of walking her home, as if he was punishing her.

This repeated each day and Hakuba was getting irritated. On Thursday he actually tried to suddenly hit the magician. Kaito just grabbed his fist with his lightning reflex and held it in an iron grip. Hakuba didn't expect him to be this strong. And then Kuroba turned at him looking him strait in his eyes. The detective felt an icy chill run down his spine as the brown eyes met the gleaming violet. It wasn't as strong of sensation as it was on Saturday but the warning was clear. And swallowing hard Hakuba decided to obey and backed out.

He thought that maybe if he didn't bug the thief at all for a while then maybe, just maybe the magician would calm down and things would calm down between them. The Friday was quiet on that field as none of them tried to approach the other and it made Aoko worried more than before.

* * *

On the weekend Hakuba went to meet with Kudo. Hattori wasn't there as he stayed in Osaka in case KID would decide to make a heist there. But he didn't, although there was a target he should be interested in. Shinichi wondered about that, maybe the thief was just feeling tired after last week? It wasn't often for him to hold heists week after week but none the less, if something interesting showed up, he usually did. They knew from experience that he was capable of doing them day after day if he decided to.

In the end Hakuba decided to tell Kudo that he was in contact with KID's civilian persona. He was grateful that the other detective didn't try to ask more questions about it and just settled with listening. So the Brit was free to tell him only the bare bones of what was necessary for the shrunken teen to understand the situation between them. He told him about the denial about his alter-ego the mentioned person was holding and about the fact that they had a common friend who didn't know about his night life, but was very precious to the thief. He saw a spark of interest about that fact in the child's eye, but again he didn't state any questions about it.

After that he told him how secure civil-KID was acting around him and how they reached a breakthrough not long ago. And how it went bad lately. He described with details his unexpected meeting with KID and received back the information what took him so long to get there then. He hoped that the Genius of the East could help him unravel what went wrong back there, but he couldn't understand it either. They only managed to reach the conclusion that it was probably related to KID's ignoring the Osakan jewel in order to avoid Hattori. It wasn't good if the thief decided to back out form any interactions with either detective and it worried them.

Then Hakuba described the fierce sensation he received from the thief for the first time. And that made Kudo worry even more. It wasn't common for KID to lose to his emotions or show then in any violent way.

He told him how the thief was giving him a cold shoulder this whole week, ignoring his presence at all. He knew he was slipping in the information that they met on daily basis and were forced to spend in this way a lot of time. But Hakuba hoped that Kudo would stay true to his word and wouldn't use it against Kuroba.

Ending the topic the blond informed the boy that, despite their need to rush the progress, he wanted to try and give KID the space he desired. And approach him at the end of the week. Shinichi agreed to that easily respecting Hakuba's larger experience in dealing with the thief on daily basis.

As the tension between them was still high and neither of them was able to break it, they dug themselves into a few reports they wanted to check out. Kudo absent- mindedly wished that Hattori was with them, as the Osakan had more talent in lightening the mood than he did. Hakuba wished for the presence of Kuroba and worried if the magician would ever spend some casual time with all three detectives. Later on as the topic was still hanging between them Shinichi described his own experiences with the thief. They finally had some laughs about it and the tension broke.

* * *

Next week didn't bring any revelations. Kuroba's expression didn't tip anything about his feelings to Hakuba, as his poker face was more solid than ever. Brit asked Aoko to leave the matters go, explaining that he wanted to give her friend some space to let the tension between them drop before he would be taking any actions again to smooth things back. She wasn't happy about it but agreed to it. Unfortunately at the end of the week when the detective tried to approach Kuroba nothing has changed and the teen remained unattainable for the blond.

* * *

After school was finished for the day Hakuba was slowly heading home on foot. After a while, when he was sure that nobody tailed him he changed his direction slightly. He entered a café, he agreed with Kudo to meet in at last time. He sat in the back beside the child who was sipping his drink. Hakuba sighed heavily and spoke with a tired voice rubbing his face with his hand.

"It's no use. I can't seem to approach him anymore. He's started pushing away everybody now when I try." He exhaled hard "I don't know whether it is my fault or his sole decision. It's too hard to read him anymore."

Conan sighed and gave a nod „I think that at this point you have no other choice and should give him even more space. Leave him completely for the time being. Maybe he'll calm down then?"

Hakuba frowned and grimaced averting his gaze. He didn't want to admit it, but Kudo did have a point. He looked back at the boy.

"Alright, I guess I can go visit my mother for a few weeks. What are you planning to do in the mean time, if you don't mind me asking?"

Conan shrugged "Hopefully he'll hold some heists. Hattori found out that a few galleries here acquired some nice jewels to lure KID. I'll try to approach him and see how it goes. We did have a few nice casual chats before. Hattori will come whenever he's available. KID did seem to like him last time they met. After all he did even promise to consider holding a heist in Osaka to meet him. Worth a try." He smirked and shook his head "Anyway – funny how those galleries seem to treat him like some kind of attraction and free publicity, huh?"

Hakuba smiled sadly and lowered his gaze "Seems so, but I doubt it bothers him at all. Whatever he needs those gems for this does make his job easier. At least he doesn't have to travel the whole world like the previous KID. Yet..."

* * *

**Seems things those guys are quite determined to 'enclose' on the 'white shadow', don't they?**

**And while the detectives are busy talking the clock is ticking…** **_*tick, tock, tick, tock*_ ** **How much time could be left?**

**_See you next chapter *bow* ;)_ **


	8. The impending darkness

Disclaimer: I don't own MK or DC, or any other manga/anime to be exact. I just like to let my imagination run loose :D

_**Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story.** _

**My, my~ it seems like I have managed to confuse my dear readers with the last chapter..? Wonder what are your thoughts going to be after this one? *** _**evil grin*** _ **But do not fear – all will turn crystal clear in the end…**

**To hold the tension and build it a bit more I will present you – my dear readers - the detective's point of view for this chapter as well. Although this time I promise to add in some action.**

 

_**So without further delay…** _

_**Please enjoy and review! :)** _

 

* * *

On Monday Hakuba came to class to inform his teacher that he will be gone for some time, as he was going to visit his family in England. He was an excellent student, so there wasn't much problem with that. Some of his classmates were exited for him. Aoko was sad and said she is going to miss him. She tried to make Kaito say his goodbyes to their friend, but he only smirked at this and threw Hakuba a mocking stare. And that was the only expression he's shown to the detective.

Saguru felt anxious looking through a window on the plane. There was something making him feel uneasy. This was ridiculous but he was afraid that if he left something would go horribly wrong. But he had no other choice. As Kudo said – that was probably the best way. There wasn't any guaranties that thanks to his departure Kuroba would start acting like he usually did, but there was a chance. And they had to take it.

* * *

Soon after that the police received a heist notice informing about multiple thefts the thief was planning on preforming during the next four weeks. That was new and Conan wondered dryly if there was any connection to Hakuba's departure. Did KID really wanted to get rid of the Brit that bad, that now he was going to celebrate on his achievement? Well hard to say. It sure felt like it. But it was also true that there weren't any potential targets for him in the area before. Now as Hanami (the cherry blossom festival) was finally over the galleries and museums wanted to get back their attention. And having KID visit them was the best road to popularity. He sighed heavily. It was really ridiculous that people used a criminal like that.

There were going to be three galleries and one museum trying to get the thief's attention. The suspicious thing was that the new exhibit presentations were a week apart from each other. Was it possible that the owners just agreed to it in order to "share" KID? Yeah… that was most probable. Even he couldn't be in a two, let alone four places at a time and probably none of them wanted to be picked last by the thief himself, as it would show to the public which events were more important to him. Shinichi wondered dryly how they choose the schedule and snorted imagining the serious businessmen pulling straws.

After school that day he called Hattori to check if his friend also found out about the notice. He did and was now busy making arrangements to attend all off them. It was a pain for him, since his teachers didn't like him very much, he couldn't take a break for that long in order to be present in Tokyo for the whole time, so he would have to be riding the train there and back each weekend. Shinichi tried to convince his friend that it wasn't necessary for him to be at each one, but Hattori was stubborn and it was nearly impossible to make him change his mind once he was set on something. And he was mad at the thief, that he neglected coming to Osaka, when their gallery prepared such a nice bait for him. Conan could recognize a lost cause when he saw it, so he simply informed his guardians that they are going to have a guest for the next four weekends. Needless to say Kogoro was not happy about it, unlike Ran who was looking forward to it. Shinichi texted Hattori to remind his friend to bring Kazuha with him, or they wouldn't be probably able to get his childhood friend off their backs.

* * *

Only the nagging memory of Hakuba claiming that KID was somehow acting differently, indicated that those heists might have something off about them. At the first they thought, that maybe it was just their imagination provoked by their talks with the blond. But as soon as Conan and Heiji saw the white clad figure, they somehow knew he might be right, but couldn't place their fingers on it back then. Only after the heist it hit them. For the whole event he didn't say one word. Didn't taunt nor responded to Nakamori shouts. But he was quiet during the 'Moon's Eye' heist also, so why the uneasy feeling this time? It was because this time there was no laughter either. Moreover he wasn't moving in his cheerful-chaotic way either. Didn't do any unnecessary motions or tricks. He was precise, fast and serious. They did manage to corner him at some point, but even then he didn't respond to them. He just disappeared and they couldn't find him after he did.

After the heist was over they started their investigation keeping in mind Hakuba's claim about the shooters. It took them a while, but eventually they found a few debris in a nearby alley, they identified as parts of KID's glider. They broke into the building and found bullet holes inside and on the rooftop. And there were a lot of them. It didn't take them long to recreate what must have happened there. Fortunately they didn't find any blood traces, but that didn't necessary mean anything.

They reported their findings to the police and that started a case of an unknown shootings, not related to KID.

Detectives regretted that Hakuba was away and wasn't able to check on KID's civilian persona, to make sure he was fine. They were considering breaking their promise to Hakuba to figure out the thief's identity to pay him a visit themselves. But finally they decided against it, figuring they would have the chance to see him in a week anyway. They would go to him only if he didn't appear. Also in the end they didn't inform the Brit of what they found. They didn't want to alarm him just yet, afraid he would want to come back if he knew.

They argued some afterwards. Heiji wanted to go alone on the next heist. He was claiming, that it would be easier for him to get KID and make him talk, if they were to meet alone. Shinichi wouldn't admit it, but it somewhat hurt him to think, that the thief might be hesitant to talk to them because of him. Eventually that feeling of guilt made him agree to the idea.

* * *

The second heist was a surprise to everybody present. At the start KID wittily switched this night's prize with the last one. But afterwards it was all wrong again. He was never supposed to be violent. And back there he shot his trade-mark card gun at them. A few officers were bleeding afterwards. It wasn't anything more than a few cuts, but still… He also used some slippery substance in places that made people fall painfully and hurt themselves somewhat.

This time Heiji managed to somehow tackle the thief and get a grab on him. KID was slippery and surprisingly strong, but the detective knew how to place his hold, so it was impossible to get free. Even so the thief refused to speak a single word. During their 'dance' on the cheerful heist, that seemed to have happened years ago, Heiji had the opportunity to look his opponent in the eyes. The sparkling mischief and laughter locked in them annoyed him back then, but now there wasn't any of it inside. Now the violet in his eyes was frozen, gleaming with anger and determination. KID was struggling so hard, that at some point Heiji heard the other teen's joints crack dangerously. Shocked he slightly loosen his grip on him and the thief managed to drop something. The sleeping gas knocked out cold the Osakan and when he came to the heist was long over.

Heiji cursed under his breath and started his investigation. He exhaled heavily when an officer discovered the first bullet hole inside the gallery the heist was held. In the end they found a few more. Although it did explain why the thief decided to shoot at them and cause some minor injuries, it sure didn't answer any other questions. Why didn't he speak at all? Why did he let people hurt themselves? Why did he have that predatory look and behavior?

* * *

During the third heist both detectives were chasing the thief along with a few officers up the stairs. The steps were covered with something that made them slippery for everybody except KID, so he had a large advantage over them. After a few stories he suddenly he threw behind a ball that started becoming larger as it flew and eventually it bloke the path for adults. Due to his small frame Conan managed to get across the trap and continue his pursuit. On the other side steps were no longer slippery and the boy could run faster. By the time he heard that the rest managed to get through it they were a few stories higher. As he took another turn, panting hard, he nearly bumped with the hidden thief. Before Conan could regain his balance KID grabbed him roughly by the collar and pulled up so he could face him. His violet eyes were gleaming with something sinister. The child heard a menacing growl leaving his throat, as he took a step towards the edge between stairs.

"I thought I was clear enough. Don't dare to follow me!" His voice was hoarse and fierce, and before Conan could respond he threw him down through the empty space between stairs.

The boy's eyes widened with shock and a quiet, disbelieving "Huh?" left his lips, before it turned into a scream of terror, as he was descending fast without any protection. Then he was a suddenly hit with a large force from a side, by another body. A moment later he was rolling over the floor entangled with somebody else, who was holding him strongly. When he regained his full awareness, he heard shocked voices of people surrounding him. Hattori, who was still holding him in his arms with an iron grip, was breathing heavily.

"Oi… you ok?" he managed to ask between breaths.

"Yyeah… Thanks…" the boy answered still shocked by what just happened.

Somebody, probably some officer, who Shinichi couldn't identify at the moment clucked with annoyance "Somebody get them out of this. We have to disentangle them to see if they're fine." The ordering voice could only belong to Nakamori-keibu.

"What happened… Did KID really just…?" asked a startled voice in the background.

"Stop with the chit-chat and get to work!" Nakamori roared with his fierce voice forcing his subordinates to obey.

It was only then when Conan noticed that he was entangled with his friend by a dark wire. With his shaking hands he grabbed it and pulled it. It was an slightly elastic rope. He noticed one end of it attached to himself. Squirming, he turned around a bit and noticed that it was tied around him creating a harness. He exhaled with relief and closed his eyes. He didn't notice when, but the thief secured Conan's safety. KID didn't throw him to his demise.

Hattori sighed in relief as he saw his friend's inspection results. He barely held his body from trembling from shock, fear, anger, relief, confusion and many other feelings he couldn't name, that rushed through his mind in the past few moments. He wanted to laugh to let out all the tension, but as he opened his mouth he saw the other end of the rope falling down the staircase after an officer pulled it lightly. He swallowed hard feeling an icy chill through his body.

By the time the officers managed to set them free and they picked themselves up, the thief was long gone. When detectives managed to reach the roof it was filled with the police. They were mad at them for ruining any possible clues that might have explained KID's behavior. Heiji actually snapped at some of them and the boys were kicked out from there.

Not having any other choice they searched the building, so they were in the area to hear what Nakamori told a few of his officers in a quiet conversation.

"As for now… We have to consider that KID may no longer be a non-violent criminal…" the statement was followed by heavy silence of disbelieve.

"Isn't it… too fast..? He did use a rope…" some faint voice broke out of the silence.

"We will see. There is a heist in a week. I prefer we are prepared for it." Nakamori answered with a heavy voice and swallowed hard. It clearly wasn't easy for him either.

* * *

„There is something wrong with his eyes Hattori. I don't know, maybe it wasn't him… I can't… I refuse to believe he would be acting like that. Something is definitely off here."

"I've seen it too... Maybe he's being controled somehow, or somebody is trying to besmirch him? Make him a shooting target for the police?"

"I don't know what to think anymore… He is trying to keep everybody safe. And I doubt that he would, if it wasn't him..." Conan rubbed his face "Maybe we're doing it the wrong way? Maybe we should go after those guys hunting him, rather than himself? If he can somehow manage to do a heist and locate them we should be able to also. But…"

"That would be dangerous since we don't know who we're dealing with, or how many to expect." Heiji finished with a grim voice focusing his gaze at the road before him.

Conan just gave a slight nod to that.

They were walking slowly towards the agency. It was dark and cold, and the girls will probably scold them for being so late, but they couldn't care for it right now. Silence didn't last long before it was broken by Heiji's sigh.

"I just don't get it. Why does he refuse to talk? I thought you told me he used to be quite chatty? He sure was after the 'Moon's Eye'. Bah… Maybe we should phone that Brit after all?" Conan could easily tell from his tone that his friend wasn't happy with the option, but was at a loss.

He would want to smirk at it, if only the situation wasn't so dire. So he only sighed and shook his head slowly.

"Don't think we should tell him too much. You know how he cares for the guy. Odds are he'll freak when we tell him everything and will just rush back. And if KID as civil-persona is like he described him then bugging him will only make him more twitchy and…"

"Aggressive…" Heiji helped him to find the right word.

"Yeah…" He sighed "I'm still not used to the idea of him being like that. Anyway what I fear the most is that, if he gets less stable, than he is now, he might make a mistake with those guys, who are targeting him. You've seen the shooting area after the first heist. It wasn't from just one or two people… Guess there is no other choice, I should have done this before... I'll contact as Shinichi Megure-keibu and get his interest on those guys."

* * *

It was Friday afternoon before the last heist when Conan noticed his phone ringing. It appeared that Hattori won't be coming because all trains towards Tokyo were canceled. Apparently there was a minor accident and for safety reasons it was decided that there will be some minor renovations made on the line. Heiji tried to get a plane or bus ticket but all seats were already taken. He had a bad feeling about the upcoming heist and since he couldn't stop Shinichi from going alone, he made him promise he would be extra careful and go after KID instead of searching for his hunters.

Ran was supposed to walk Conan to the heist area, but she had to leave and didn't come back before he had to go, so he went alone. Actually he was glad with the outcome because he preferred her to be away if the things would get out of hand. He was nearly there when his phone rang. He raised his eyebrow seeing it was from Kogoro.

"Moshi, moshi?"

" _Oi kiddo, come back home, now."_ The man's voice was hoarse with hints of distress.

Conan frowned and stopped "What happened?" he demanded, forgetting about his childish manner to uphold.

" _I don't have time to talk with you brat! Ran is at a hospital struggling for her life! Get back here, now!"_ Kogoro snapped at him, but hearing those words made Shinichi's heart stop for a brief moment.

"Where is she?! I'm not going home, I have to be there!" Shinichi shouted taking out his skateboard.

" _You bra-… Whatever, do what you want. She's at Kariya Toyota General Hospital_." After saying that he disconnected.

Conan cursed under his breath and started the engine putting it on its highest speed.

* * *

To say Kudo was angry was an understatement. He was furious. KID was lucky he wasn't anywhere in sight, because the boy wasn't sure if he wouldn't kill him on the spot. And then he would have to hide the body, so he wouldn't spend his life in prison for a gruesome murder. Ran was indeed in the hospital 'Kogoro' told her she was supposed to be. Only that she wasn't dying or anything like that. She was found near it unconscious, apparently knocked-out with sleeping gas. With an annoyed huff he shoved out his phone and dialed his friend's number to let out some steam.

" _Oi Kudo! So what's going on there? Did you manage to reach KID? He didn't hurt you right?"_

"I didn't get to the heist at all…" Conan growled through his clenched teeth.

" _Huh? Why not, what's happened?"_

"The bastard gave me a heart attack and made me believe Ran was dying. I'm gonna kill him Hattori…" he exhaled slowly trying to hold his rage.

" _Oi, oi… calm down. Listen. I'm gonna come tomorrow, alright? The 'renovations' are supposed to be done by then, so just –"_ he didn't manage to finish as the boy's roar cut him off.

"I'm gonna murder him Hattori! First I'm gonna squeeze his identity out of Hakuba, if I have to. And then I'll catch this bastard, tie him up and give him the longest soccer ball-in-the-face session ever! And I'm not gonna stop until I'm satisfied and until I'll kick him back to his senses. Oh he's gonna regret it bad I tell you. And then he's gonna explain **everything** to us. In detail. I'm not gonna let him slip out any tiny bit of information. I'm…" Shinichi in his rage didn't notice till now how quiet the other side of the line has become, he calmed down a bit and asked with a less angry, confused voice "Hattori? You still there?"

„… _Yeah…" the startled voice of his friend made the boy frown "I think… You might not be able to do all you want… Just listen to this…"_

There was a static before Shinichi could clearly hear what the voice on the radio was saying ** _"-epet. The whole area is being evacuated. The explosion on the rooftop was a major one. Debris flew far away from ground zero. As far as for now nobody has seen any signs that KID's got away. We don't have any causalities reports yet. We will keep you informed, for now – back at the studio.*"_ there was a slight pause and another voice started talking _"Thanks Chito-san. We have with us here at the studio an explosive material specialist. Shiro-san could you give us your thoughts on what has happened there? *"_ there was a rough chuckle and yet another voice spoke _"*Well it does seem clear that the crazy thief finally over-done it with his trick. At least he's went down with a blast!-"_ ** there was a loud thud over the phone as Hattori slammed the radio turning it off with a hard hit.

Only a quiet whisper managed to leave the startled detective child's lips "KID…"

* * *

**I know you guys love cliffis like this x]**

_**The clock has stopped once, yet it starts to tick again…** _

_***tick tock tick tock…*** _

_***evil laughter* See you next chapter *bow* ;)** _


	9. Illuminating doubts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own MK or DC, or any other manga/anime to be exact. I just like to let my imagination run loose :D
> 
> Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story.
> 
> This chapter will be more relaxed one, with some explanation and research. Its main focus will be Hakuba. In the end notes you'll find the promised explanation of the prophecy.
> 
> Please keep in mind that Hakuba's deductions presented here are an effect of week-long chewing on the issue. Their focus is a bit different due to Shinichi concealing some information from him.
> 
>  
> 
> So without further delay...
> 
> Please enjoy and review! :)

 

His stay in England allowed Hakuba to think things over, in a calm less emotional way. He was happy he managed to share his doubts with his fellow detectives, especially considering all they told him. And while he couldn't say he enjoyed Hattori's attitude (the best thing he could say about him was that he was living in Osaka and they wouldn't be meeting too often), he was thrilled to learn that the young boy was actually Kudo Shinichi. Hakuba found the chats he shared with the genius enlightening and fun. They shared a similar sense of humor and seemed to respect each other, although they both were still cautious about each other. Well, trust did need time to be build, so it was fine.

Hakuba had also the time to think about his own allurement to the magician. Kuroba was so different from the detective. And yet the more he knew him, the more similarities he could find. Until they met Saguru felt rather isolated and superior because of his own genius. He couldn't enjoy his time with others, as he found them rather dull and inferior. And then KID surprised him and outwitted. And he repeated that accomplishment time and time again. At first it was frustrating and unbearable for Hakuba. And then he discovered that his rival had a noble and caring side of him. That made him take a step back to calm his frustrations and take a closer look at the thief he despised so much.

From the distance it occurred to him how harmless the criminal was and how much fun he was giving to those who chased him. That was actually troubling for the detective and made him more eager to discover, why the thief was actually doing all this. As chasing and questioning his classmate didn't reveal much, he started his research on everything he could find about KID. And that was when he first started being aware of how much good the magician was doing and how many dangerous shadows were surrounding him. Hakuba couldn't honestly pinpoint the moment, when curiosity started turning into actual care. Nor when it was he started to like and admire the teen hidden under the top hat. He thought the detective not only humility, but also how to have fun and cherish others. And that probably was what made him so appealing for Hakuba. And thus he became the first person the detective wanted to call his friend. In the end it became an even stronger desire, than discovering the secret Kuroba was hiding.

Hakuba sighed heavily with his head cleared of all the uncertainties. Wasn't it pitiful that the person he wanted to befriend the most, was the one, who trying so hard to push him away? He turned on the computer to check his email.

* * *

Before he left, Hakuba exchanged his email addresses with Kudo. The shrunken detective promised him, to keep him informed about anything on KID they might discover.

The information about multiple heist notice didn't surprise the blonde much. As he concluded it was most probably Kuroba's curtsey towards his target's owners for presenting him much appreciated jewels and presentation of his consent to predetermined schedule.

The information about KID's quiet behavior during the first heist worried the Brit significantly. It wasn't like Kuroba to act out of character. This confirmed Hakuba's suspicion that something of grave magnitude must have been preoccupying the magician's mind. The blond frowned at his fellow detectives decision, to allow the Osakan hot-head to try and approach KID alone. He didn't personally like him, nor did he fully trust his judgment. But after thinking it over, he concluded that his attitude might indeed be alluring and enjoyable for Kuroba, so the idea might actually work.

According to next email, during the second heist KID remained silent and used some slippery substance without considering the safety of others. Nobody got severely injured of course, but it wasn't like him to do any damage to his pursuers. Was it a mistake? Or was he getting that desperate… Hakuba had the feeling that something was missing in the report he received. When he asked about it, Kudo replied after a while mentioning about Hattori grabbing a hold on KID. He apologized for not informing the Brit about it earlier, but decided it was not important to the case and could only worry him. Hakuba frowned and couldn't agree less. It was very disturbing for him that the thief seemed so desperate, that he was ready to injure himself in order to escape. It was not like Kuroba could afford getting hurt during a heist. Why would he be this distrustful towards the dark-skinned teen, who not long ago helped him? The description of predatory gaze, he threw at Hattori, made Hakuba grimace. Kuroba was clearly aggressive towards not only him, but all of his, previously 'beloved' critics. It was definitely disturbing information. Maybe he shouldn't have left? His absence didn't seem to help and now he couldn't even observe his classmate. He sighed heavily. It wasn't like his presence was helping in anyway either. Only that jumping from one plan to the other would not be a wise thing. There were only two weeks left, so it was better probably to leave things as they were.

Hakuba mused more over the significant change in his classmate. Could it be possible that KID discovered something, that made him see the detectives as a threat so dire, that must be avoided, at all costs? And instead of fear he chose anger? But what on earth could it be… It couldn't be their alliance, as Kuroba first presented that behavior before detectives had a chance to talk. He shared that thought with Shinichi, who answered he was wondering about the same thing. If it was true, then the detectives would first have to discover what the thief found out in order to ease his doubts. Simply avoiding his heists and acting friendly clearly wasn't enough - Hakuba was doing that already and was the first one to receive this kind of treatment.

The mail on the third heist didn't bring any revelations. KID still remained silent for some reason and he used the same slippery substance. It was worrying that he used it on the stairs, but maybe not so much? It was possible that he planned, that he would use it on this event during his second heist. It was possible that he used it before only to make his pursuers familiar with dangers the substance could bring, so they would be extra careful when he used it on the stairs. That kept them safe from actual harm and he gained larger advantage in distance, as the officers remembering the bruises moved carefully and slower. That also gave him time he needed to block the path. It was clear that he did it all in order to be sure nobody would follow him. And that way nobody would be able to witness anything that happened when he reached his destination. Hakuba didn't like where this deduction was leading him.

Each heist was broadcasted in television and Hakuba didn't miss any of them. When he saw the explosion he went frozen in his chair. He stopped breathing trying to wake up from the nightmare, that could not have been reality. When he started hearing again what the speaker was saying, he realized it was reality. Regaining his breath he grabbed his phone and dialed Kuroba's number. There was no answer, but that was not surprising, he realized. It wouldn't be wise for the magician to take his phone on a heist and he probably never did. So instead trying on this one, he dialed Conan's number, but he couldn't get through, as it was occupied. He cursed under his breath and send him a text message.

_*What the bloody hell happened? Call me!*_

Trying to calm himself down, he switched to another station broadcasting KID's heist, hoping for a view from another angle, that could show something, anything. His mind started racing examining every possibility. How probable it was that KID was present on the roof during explosion? Depends… He went to the most optimistic possibility. How probable it was that it was KID's who prepared this? Why would he? Distraction? Fabricate his death? Without giving it any thought he rejected the possibility, that Kuroba might have wanted to hurt anybody with it, no matter how crazed he's become. And what if the explosives belonged to somebody else? He bit his lip. It wasn't very likely that they would mistake KID for his dummy and destroy it instead. Could the thief have detonated it himself? He most probably did check the building thoroughly before each heist to discover all the traps laid for him, so it was likely.

Hakuba exhaled slowly proceeding to the most dire possibility, that KID didn't know about the bomb and was present on the roof during the detonation… There were multiple cameras around the building and as the announcer was continuously saying, nobody spotted KID's glider. Could he hidden himself behind some contraption on the roof and avoided, or at least lessened the damage from explosion? He started changing stations until he got a view from a helicopter. He ruled out that possibility. The building had ten floors and each of them was roughly 2 meters high or a bit more. That gave probably around 20 to 23 meters to the ground. He wouldn't count on much, if a regular person would fall from that height, but… If KID made purposely a jump like that… Hakuba shook his head. If he had a possibility to make a jump he would have used his glider. Unless it was damaged somehow... His train of thought was stopped by the sound of his phone ringing. Without looking at it he picked it up immediately.

"What's happening Kudo-kun? Are you two alright?"

"" _Yeah, we're fine… He tricked us and we weren't even present there. I'm on my way now, Hattori is stuck in Osaka and won't be coming before tomorrow morning. I probably don't know more than you do right now."_

"What happened?"

Shinichi sighed heavily _"Long story short – he somehow disturbed trains between Tokyo and Osaka, and made me travel at the last minute to the other side of Tokyo. I was too far to even hope to make it back in time when I found out I was tricked."_ He sighed heavily _"I should have tried at least, I know. But honestly he made me too angry with his method to think clearly."_

Hakuba exhaled slowly, closing his eyes for a moment and shook his head "Don't worry about it. He most likely did this to keep you safe. I hope it means he foresaw enough to prepare for this… Gods… This is surreal… And to think we oversaw something this big going on. I hope that it's just that he's too good at hiding all this and not them…"

There was heavy silence between them when Shinichi cleared his throat and started reluctantly _"We may… Listen Hakuba… um…"_ He clearly didn't know how to say what he wanted to.

Hakuba frowned hearing the other boy was struggling "What is it Kudo-kun? Is there something you didn't tell me?" He bit the inside of his cheek to hold in any possible anger, that might come after hearing an answer.

" _We didn't want to worry you. There wasn't anything you, or we could do about it anyway and I feared you might want to come back to check up on him. And it wouldn't serve any good if you'd make him more stressed out…"_ the boy's voice was apologetic.

"Kudo-kun." He cut in more harshly than he intended to "Tell me."

Shinichi sighed heavily and told him everything he neglected in the reports he's send, including that Nakamori-keibu brought up the possibility to stop concerning KID as non-violent. Hakuba closed his eyes imagining how hard it must have been for the officer. The Brit exhaled loudly when Kudo told him that he contacted Division 1 to get their help during the last heist.

"I'm afraid it might have been a mistake Kudo-kun…" he said slowly.

" _Yeah I know… It's possible he did all this in order to arm his Task Force quietly, so they could help him get those guys… But by the time it hit me it was too late already… I'm sorry I hid this from you."_

"Yes, I'm sorry too…" Hakuba answered with hoarse voice and sighed "Listen I will be tomorrow at 15:50 at Tokyo-Haneda airport, could you pick me up then? I'd like to talk with you as soon as I get there."

" _Sure, we'll be there. And Hakuba… Try not to worry too much. It's KID we're talking about. He's always prepared. Heck, I wouldn't be too surprised if he got out without even a scratch"_ he added with a lighter tone.

Hakuba tried to smile and said softly "Yes I know that. See you tomorrow. Good luck."

" _Thanks, bye."_

When Hakuba hang up he was still sitting in his chair, gazing at his phone, with the television buzzing in the background. Slowly he wrote a message and send it to his classmate.

_*Kuroba-kun, I know you hate me for some reason and wish not to talk to me. But please, answer if you're alive.*_

* * *

 

It was 8:52:48.16 in England and Hakuba was getting ready to drive to the airport, when his phone buzzed announcing an incoming message.

_*I'm not KID, leave me alone at last.*_

Seeing the short text lift a heavy burden off the Brit's shoulders. After a few moments, when he recovered, he send a message to Kudo.

_*He's alive.*_

* * *

 

Conan and Hattori were casually chatting with Baaya in the waiting area, when Saguru saw them. He refrained from starting the most urgent topic until they were in the car.

"So what did you find out?" The Brit was sure the brilliant detective would discover something.

"Not much to be honest. He warned Nakamori-keibu about the explosives just before it happened, so they managed to evacuate before it was too late. There were only minor injuries to the police officers thanks to that. There is an investigation going on whether he was responsible for the explosion. As for the bad news KID Task Force members I managed to talk to are nearly certain, that he was up there during the blast. We managed to watch security cameras records and nothing indicates he escaped through the inside. The bright side is that there was a tape reveling a few people wandering near the roof, leaving something up there, before the heist. Nakamori doesn't let it out of his sight." The boy smirked "His Task Force doesn't seem to believe KID is responsible." He ended with a comforting smile and averted his gaze uncertain of what he was going to say next "Uhm… You told me that he's alive… Did he, by any chance… contact you?" Conan asked a bit perplexed, clearly not sure if he had any right to be asking questions, after concealing so much himself from the Brit.

Hakuba looked at his fellow detectives and saw worry in their eyes. They were clearly tired and lacked sleep as much as he did. He sighed heavily and nod his head.

"Yes. He responded with a short message, a few hours after I send him a text asking if he's alive. Can't say for sure if he wrote it himself, but I doubt I would receive it if he was dead." Hakuba sighed again and moved his gaze to the window "Listen, I understand that you don't trust me fully yet. But I don't want to doubt your words. I've already got my hands full with secrets, riddles and such, and don't need any more from you." He looked back at the other boys "If we're to work together I have to be able to trust you."

Heiji grimaced a bit. He felt the urge to give the annoying Brit a piece of his mind, but despite the irritation he caused, he was right. Before they came to the airport Shinichi told him about what happened though the phone between those two. He didn't know before that he promised the Brit to keep him informed with everything. He could and should expect that, but he honestly didn't like the Brit all that much and preferred not to think about him at all, if he had the chance. Heiji did yell at Kudo before meeting with this guy, angry for breaking a promise like that. As things were it was hard not to agree with what Hakuba said. The blonde did seem nothing, but honest and trusting towards them till now and didn't deserve such treatment. He had every right to be angry with them and give them his rebuke, but the Osakan still didn't like it. Especially seeing how Kudo was taking it. Well damn… he did wrong and all, but it was not like Heiji was going to go against his best friend. Therefore he remained silent for now and would comfort Kudo later.

Conan had his eyes locked at the floor, feeling ashamed. The nagging feeling that KID might have gotten severely injured because of him didn't help at all. And he was certain that, if he consulted the Brit before acting, it could have been avoided. Worse was that, the doubt he's shown was a low blow to their building trust and possible friendship. It was all because Shinichi has gotten used to acting secure, but he wasn't going to make excuses like that. He sighed and looked up at Hakuba.

"I know and you are right. I wish I could somehow make it up to you. I shouldn't have doubted you and I'm sorry. Unfortunately all I can do now, is say that I've learned my lesson and promise not to do it again. You did put a lot of trust in us and deserve nothing less." The boys tone and eyes were sincere and hopeful.

Hakuba nod his head, clearly not expecting any explanations from Hattori. The Osakan didn't give him any promises and they weren't fond of each other anyway. Despite the humility lessons Kuroba gave him, it was hard for the Brit to swallow his pride, but Kudo's words made it easier for him now.

"I accept your apology. I wouldn't want to end our alliance here either and I intend to still put some trust in you. Both." He moved his gaze briefly on the dark-skinned detective "Anyway, where do you want me to drop you off? I intend to try and search for him and for obvious reasons I can't take you with me. I don't think he'd be happy to see you at his doorstep, especially if he's wounded."

Heiji threw a glance at his friend and responded to that himself.

"Would be best, if you could drop us near the gallery. Doubt we'll find something, but worth a try."

Hakuba gave a nod to that and they drove there. Once his fellow detectives got out he sighed heavily. Baaya praised him with a soft smile for how he acted, telling him she was proud. They drove towards Ekoda.

* * *

Without much hope Hakuba started his search for the magician at his house. It was obviously closed and didn't seem that anybody was inside. It was possible that Kuroba simply left for the day, like usual, so the detective decided to try again later. He wondered about his next step. Hakuba didn't want to go to Aoko yet. It wouldn't be good for the magician, if he didn't manage to make any explanation to her before he was forced to stay away. He'd have to think of a way to help him cover it up. Who knows? Maybe that way they would manage to ease things up between them? The blond smirked walking back towards his cars and shook his head. He clearly viewed the girl as Kuroba's weakness and was definitely overusing it. But he honestly never managed to find any other way.

He sighed returning to the issue at hand, thinking about who could the thief turn to at his time of need. He knew Kuroba had no family, except for his absent mother. The blond thought about the old man who ran a billiards parlor called the Blue Parrot. His name was Jii Konosuke, if Saguru remembered right. He asked Baaya to take him there. Hakuba knew the man valued the magician greatly and that he used to be his father's assistant. He wasn't sure what their relation was, or whether the man knew about Kuroba's secret. Officially the teen was doing odd-jobs for him lately, so at least he was ready to cover up for the magician, that was for sure. Detective suspected that Jii might be his accomplice, but that was pure assumption and he wouldn't bet on it.

During their drive Hakuba wondered how many more people could Kuroba have know his secret. Knowing how secretive the teen was odds were that there weren't any more than the detective suspected. But it all could be only façade the magician prepared. The blonde grimaced seeing again how little he knew about the elusive magician, despite all his research on him. When they arrived he quickly got out and went to the parlor.

It was 16:36:23.45 when he entered and there weren't many clients yet. Hakuba knew that within an hour this would change, but it didn't matter. He approached the counter and smiled towards the bartender.

"Hello, would you mind if I asked you a question?" he asked politely.

Jii knew him as one of Kuroba's classmate, as they were a few times here together before the magician decided to cut on his free time. He smiled in return, showing no anxiety on his poker face.

"Oh it's nice to see you young man. It's a pity I don't see you coming here with Bocchama and your friends anymore. Of course feel free to ask anything you wish, I'd be glad to help." Hakuba got the feeling the man got a bit sentimental about the memory as his smile softened.

"Yes, it is a pity. I hope we do get the chance for it again sometime soon. Anyway I wanted to ask, if you happen to know where I might be able to find Kuroba?"

"Oh, I'm afraid you won't be able to. Bocchama called me the other day saying he's been invited by his mother and won't be available for some time. I probably could pass a message if you want me to." Jii offered with a apologetic smile.

"No thank you, it's quite alright. Maybe only a greeting." Hakuba smiled thankfully "Do you happen to know if he has told about it his friend Aoko? Seems it's kind of a sudden trip and I'm afraid she would get worried, if she doesn't know. I could pass the message, if needed."

"I believe he's called her, but none the less thank you for the offer. Is there anything else I could help you with?"

"No that's all, thank you very much. Have a nice evening."

"Not a problem at all. Good bye."

Hakuba left the parlor frowning over what he learned. Interacting with Kuroba made him more sensitive to know when somebody was showing him real emotions and when it was only a mask. And Jii was by no means as good, as the magician with it. Therefore Hakuba didn't miss the wary look the man was giving him, nor how carefully he seemed to act with the detective. Saguru was positive that Jii knew far more than he was saying, but it wouldn't be wise to push him. The news about Kuroba's sudden departure was alarming. It probably meant that his injures were too severe to conceal them, so he decided to go into hiding for the time being. And unfortunately there wasn't much Hakuba could do about it. He didn't know any of Kuroba's hideouts, which he didn't doubt that the thief had. He didn't think that questioning his possible assistant would serve any good, as it would only alarm KID. Without much choice he decided to return to his fellow detectives and try to help them find some clues, that could tell them what happened.

* * *

**Phew… took me more than I expected to write it all, but I hope you guys liked it anyway ;)**

**And now for the promised prophecy explanation** **:**

_'When the white shadow goes against the natural order, the demons enclose at him and finally triumph as the dove falls to the crows feasting on it'_

' _white shadow'_ **refers to KID, honestly speaking I believe it's the best description of this guy. A 'shadowy' person is basically somebody with unclear motive, somebody not all purely good – and let's face it, some of Kaito's stunts are nasty xD And 'white' refers for one to his clad color (xD) and indicates that in the end – he is a good guy.**

_'going against the natural order'_ _**first of all the trap of this that Kaito has fallen for was considering himself as a regular criminal. It is unnatural for a criminal to befriend or cooperate with detectives, but for KID? Come on – it's not like it's anything new or strange for him ;) During the last heists he was acting anything but natural. But the thing that triggered the prophecy was getting rid of his favorite critic – while he is usually thrilled to have him attending. If he didn't go after Ran to the other side of the city, he could have used the time to search the building more thoroughly and would be able to find the explosives.** _

' _demons'_ **it's true Akako called Shinichi like that, but it was only him who she called like that. And here we have plural. It was in fact a reference to 'the demons of one soul'. Fears, uncertainty and all the dark emotions that haunt a person. And Kaito had lots of it and as we seen in chapter 6 – he got overwhelmed by it (funny thing that it was because of the prophecy, right? Most probably if he didn't learn it he would be friends with the detectives by now and would be able to easier fight his 'demons'). Because of that he was focusing on too many things and made mistakes.**

' _dove falls'_ **that was a bit tricky too – it was a double warning thing – 'dove' is a symbol of peace, gentleness and such. His fall would mean discarding those features in an open way. The second was literal, which you guys guessed right ;)**

' _crows feasting on it'_ **not much of a surprise here – just bad guys getting a full plate of KID ;)**

_**See you next chapter *bow* ;)** _


	10. Soul snares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own MK or DC, or any other manga/anime to be exact. I just like to let my imagination run loose :D
> 
> Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story.
> 
> This time I'll present you some aftermath – what do we have the detectives for if not for clearing out cases, right? Later we'll go to Ekoda High to fulfill your requests, my dear readers ;) 
> 
> So without further delay…
> 
> Please enjoy and review! :)

* * *

Before the detectives came to the burned crime scene the police found two charred bodies and they were already send for autopsy. Conan and Heiji weren't very happy about it, but they would probably regret not going to the station before meeting with Saguru, since tapes were fragile evidence. They concluded that if they didn't get to see them themselves they could not be sure if those haven't been altered. And it was just as Heiji told Hakuba – it was far less probable to find anything at a scorched crime scene. Fire is a powerful force that usually destroys all evidence from a crime scene. But then again when you have three genius detectives working together, there are bound to be some results.

Searching through the rubble was hard, annoying and depressing. As everything was scattered in chaos it was harder to start looking for clues. Both of them knew that now time was of the essence. There were too many people present at the scene who could, and probably did trample on the clues they needed to find. Heiji and Shinichi decided to work separately, so they could cover more ground faster. Working together on many cases before made them more competitive against each other, but also made them fully acknowledge other's skills. Neither had any doubts that the other could overlook a clue. Conan decided to focus his attention first to the doors leading to the roof, while Hattori went outside and took a closer look at the places where the corpses were found.

It took him a while and only the nagging feeling that something was not right, with what he was looking at made Shinichi investigate it for so long. And then it hit him. The door were forcibly opened and damaged by the blast so it wasn't easy to notice, that before it happened they were locked from the inside. The markings on the metal indicated that somebody secured it with a metal bar or something like that. Knowing that it was easier to find the blockade, laying in a corner of the staircase. Most probably KID got trapped on the roof, so he couldn't escape through the stairs before the blast. Ok, but how did they keep him there? Shaking off the appearing questions he used his bowtie and phone to call Nakamori. He knew from Hakuba that the keibu was keeping some of the video records safe under his protective gaze. Shinichi needed him to search them all for the possible culprit who braced the doors and protect that piece of evidence as well, before the tapes might get altered. He used Hakuba's voice to make himself more reliable, promising himself to apologize to the blonde afterwards. He was sure his fellow detective would understand and would not hold any grudge for that.

Heiji found some strange markings on the ground around where the bodies were found. There were darkened spots around, seemed to be caused by tiny explosions or intensive fires. Having some assumptions on what could have caused it, he started sweeping the floor around the staircase, until he found a small crack with a partly melted metal inside. A bullet hole. So those men were left here to die in the blast, to keep the thief from escaping? Hattori clenched his teeth. How did KID feel now, after he had to leave those to die in order to escape? Did he try to save them, despite they were trying to kill him? He was sure that the thief he knew before wouldn't be able to easily shake off the guilt. Heiji couldn't help KID at the moment, so he returned to the present and made a few photos of the evidence he found. Next he talked with a few officers and learned, that nothing unusual was found on the charred bodies. So there was somebody present who was destroying evidence in order to put the blame on KID… Well Hattori was not going to let him achieve his goal.

None of the detectives would. When Hakuba arrived he learned that other boys were investigating on the roof, so he decided to stay on the ground and look around there first. The hard part was that he wasn't sure what he was looking for and that such a vast area could not be fully preserved from being contaminated. He was going to resign from searching there and move to the building when he noticed that one tree had oddly shaped it's upper branches. Acquiring some help he climbed a car and took a closer look. The branches were broken recently and he found some blood traces, and a few white threads. He swept the blood off the wood and hid the material he used for it. Securing this evidence Hakuba decided to send it to his grandfather's laboratory. He had little doubts who the blood belonged to, but he had to make sure. He knew he was concealing critical evidence, but Kuroba wasn't the culprit here.

Working together later on the three genius detectives searched the building. They managed to pick up and piece together the scraps of information they found. In the end it was clear for them what happened. KID didn't go willingly to the roof, he had no choice. The vents were booby-trapped and traces found on other possible escape routes indicated that there were ambushes there. After talking with a few officers, who were present there at the time, the boys found out another thing. Despite being hunted down and chased around, the kaitou somehow found the time and possibility to keep the police safe. He lured them away from traps, used his tricks to slow them down, or made his hunters use out their bullets, before the police reached them. But despite all that only a few people were arrested at the time.

* * *

After that the detectives joined the investigation about KID's involvement with the explosion. They proved, clearing any doubts, that the kaitou wasn't at fault. They pointed out evidence of other party involvement, who were probably targeting somebody present at the heist, refraining themselves from saying out loud, that the target was most likely KID. Thanks to their deductions the thief was cleared of all charges considering the explosion and the case was closed.

Thanks to all the work detectives made and all the evidence they gathered the real culprits were arrested or had pressed charges. It took a few days of deep investigation for the police to discover and root out those who ordered the whole operation. And while it wasn't impossible that the Organization was involved, covering for the group, it didn't seem that it was their doings. Shinichi hesitated, if he should tell his fellow detectives when he found out that, the caught party was related to the men KID saved Conan and Heiji from, not long ago. Most probably their goal was to get rid of the kaitou and make him an example for others, who might want to mess with them. He didn't want his friend to worry more and blame himself for what happened. In the end, the shrunken detective reminded himself the promise he made recently and shared with Hakuba and Hattori the information, despite his doubts.

* * *

Much as expected Kuroba was absent from school on Monday. Hakuba chatted a bit with Aoko about the magician's mother and how she tended to do random things. He intended to point out more obviously, that it was indeed a natural possibility for her to suddenly take her son on a trip. They talked about it in places, where their conversation could be easily overheard by anyone. He noticed to his content that these chats eased the girl he was talking to as well.

After school he would go to the station to investigate reports on all of the cases that occurred during the last couple of weeks. Later in the evening he would meet with Shinichi to pass him copies of a couple of cases he didn't see through and to consult with each other on any, even most insignificant things they stumbled on, carefully judging if it could be connected. The thing they were searching for was a hint of a reason for KID's sudden change of behavior. But it was in vain. For the whole week they couldn't find anything that would help them understand what was going on. After Shinichi's discovery they made a grim assumption that the thief might simply be afraid to get pulled into another situation like recently.

Besides what they were looking for, Conan was hoping on finding also some more tips on the Organization's involvement. But as he didn't know what exactly he was looking for it was bound to be an failed attempt. He caught himself hoping that the thief would have some clues for him, or at least give him some leads on what to look for. It made him feel guilty to have an ulterior motive to reach the previously cheerful kaitou. He reminded himself how happy and calm attending the heists in the past made him, he remembered also his talk with Hattori after the 'Moon's Eye' heist. He said back then that the thief was a threat to his sanity, but maybe it was the exact opposite? In the end as things were now, only during these events and the rare moments when he was alone with his Osakan friend, Shinichi could have fun and be carelessly cheerful as himself, instead of Conan. And he didn't want this to end. It made him understand how much beside the obvious he owed to KID. He wouldn't allow him to lose his 'fairy' part, or to die. And for some part, he wanted that desire to be his only motive for what he was doing now with Hakuba.

Hattori on his end was painstakingly searching for hints of an outer involvement with Osaka Police Force. It was a tremendous task driving the detective mad. He literally had to go through every file without any help. Hakuba at least had a starting point, so none of them honestly hoped for much success there. Except maybe for Heiji himself. He hated the idea of losing to the damn Brit.

The teen could channel his competitive desires to kendo training, but there was another thing that kept him directing his steps to police archives. He was angry that he couldn't help his fellow detectives with the investigation they were going through at the moment. He went back and forth through every detail associated with recent 'renovations', that stopped him from attending the last heist, so many times that they were imprinted on the back of his eyelids. Without any doubt he was sure he knew now how the thief achieved it, but it didn't provide them with anything else. When he wasn't focusing his attention to the files, his mind was showing him his best friend's expression each time he was talking about KID and when they were busy with the police unraveling the kaitou's secrets. Heiji knew that the thief was giving Shinichi more than he himself could. And how ironic was that?

His mind often wandered to all that he knew, about the mysterious figure under the top hat. He recalled everything he's read about him, or heard. And of course the few meetings and chats they had before it all went wrong. He smirked deciding that the next time he met him, he would accept 'Shirohato's' invitation to France, just to have fun checking out how KID would pull it through. Heiji chuckled and returned to the task at hand with a smile on his face and a purpose in heart. He was browsing through yet another file in hope, he could find something they could find useful in the future, leaving fixing the present to the other two.

* * *

It was a shock for Hakuba to see the magician entering the classroom on the next Monday. He was sure Kuroba would be absent longer. Could his injuries not be so dire and instead of recovering he was doing something else that required his absence? Hakuba's mind was racing through the possibilities, as his eyes were carefully scanning his classmate for any abnormalities he might spot.

It was subtle, but Hakuba had the feeling that there was some wariness in Kuroba's movement. He was as still nimble and springy as ever, but at the same time he seemed less rash. Noticing that made Hakuba see also, that the magician, when he was standing or turning, was clearly favoring his right leg. He wasn't exactly limping, but the detective felt that there should be that too. There was also that small detail when Kuroba laid on his desk. The magician covered his face with his forearms, instead of placing his head on them, like usual. But the most alarming thing he found out during the lesson. Hakuba knew that Kuroba was ambidextrous, but he always seemed to be preferring his right hand. And now he was writing in his notebook with his left. All that made Hakuba certain that the teen before him was severely injured. His final prove was the doctor's recommendation Kuroba passed to their P.E. teacher with which he excused himself from attending the lesson. The teacher was not pleased, as he always liked the skillful magician who motivated other students, but didn't make any difficulties for him. After all this Hakuba had no doubts that Kuroba was remarkably hiding a lot of injuries under his clothing.

* * *

Later in classroom when the students were gathering for another lesson Hakuba heard his friend's voice pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Kaito!" said magician turned around hearing his name called out by Aoko "What is going on? Why didn't you attend P.E.? You love it! Are you ill?"

The teen sighed heavily regretting once again that there was no way he could hide the bandages covering his body while changing in the locker-room into training clothes. And even if he managed that, short sleeves and shorts wouldn't hide enough either, so he had no choice.

"Nah…" He waved his hand with an annoyed huff "Alright, I tell you… Mom made me join a crazy stunt at a performance we were watching. The guy didn't take enough precautions and I ended up with a few bruised bones. Nothing big, but better give 'em a rest for a few days." His tone indicated that the event injured not only as much his body, but his pride.

Aoko chuckled "Oh~? So there are things that are impossible for 'the great' Kaito~?" She teased with a mocking tone.

Magician showed an irritated expression and smirked at her "Sure there are… For example I can't stop, but to cry in my heart each time I look at your flat chest." He shrugged, slowly shaking his head and placing his hands in his pockets "It's impossible for me, to have any hope for you…"

"Bakaito!" she roared swinging her backpack at her friend.

Kaito with a mischievous smile stepped out of her reach and felt a jolt of pain run through his leg, as he put too much pressure to it. Before she could strike him again, he grabbed her 'weapon' with his left hand, although the blow was coming from the right. He sighed heavily and shook his head in disbelieve, with a resigned expression on his face.

"Ahoko, you brute… I just told you I'm injured and have to take it easy, and despite that you attack me like that? How much of an un-cute tomboy can you be?" He let go of her and turned his back on her "Neither woman at body nor with heart, eh?" He gave her a glance over his shoulder with a smirk to make sure, he didn't over-do it.

"Bakaito! It's your own fault for saying thing like that to Aoko!"

"You started it yourself Ahoko. Instead of teasing me, a girl should be worried, feel sorry for me and nurse me back to health. But I guess you can't expect it from a tomboy like yourself." He scolded her, smirking at her.

"Why you..!" her grip tightened on her backpack, but seeing his mocking smile she just huffed with annoyance and walked away to air her woes to Keiko.

Kaito smiled at her back with warmth and apologized to her in his mind. He would love nothing more than to have a cheerful mop-fight with her, but right now it would only aggravate his injuries and he couldn't have that. With a hint of sorrow he reminded himself to always place what he needed before what he wanted. Being a kaitou was never this dis-appealing for him than lately.

He noticed movement with the corner of his eye, as a person who was carefully watching him this whole time decided to approach him. Great… another interaction with the witch… He could only hope that this time it wouldn't turn out to be an another assault on his free will or another prophecy. Honestly speaking he didn't know which was worse. Kaito stretched to catch a glimpse of the detective. Still watching him like a hawk, but at least the blonde didn't seem to be trying to make contact.

"Kuroba-kun."

That female demanding voice as usual gave him the creeps. Without showing any of his actual emotions Kaito turned his gaze on the witch. She was watching him intently.

"What is it Akako..?" He spoke tiredly "Not really in the mood –"

"Come with me, I want to talk to you." She cut in and started walking towards the door.

Kaito huffed with annoyance and sat on his chair "Don't wanna…" He mumbled burring his face under his forearms on his desk.

Was it about another prophecy? Magician could hardly care. He tried hard to stop the last one and wasn't sure if he didn't make it worse, than it would be if he didn't do anything unusual. For sure it only made him jumpy and make stupid mistakes. Sure, it helped him realize that he should avoid letting people get too close to him, especially those nosy detectives, but the outcome wasn't worth this lesson. Kaito definitely decided, that he preferred to believe in Lady Luck's guidance and his own plans. Nothing was better than a dozen of backup plans and maybe a couple more, just to be safe. Probably listening to all this mumbo-jumbo only took vengeance of him, because of all that magician and sorcery natural enemy crap.

Akako turned at him with a shocked expression "Kuroba, I have asked you to come and listen to what I want to say."

"And I'm not interested. Wanna sleep…" he mumbled sleepily and turned his head slightly so he could see her with a corner of his eye.

He didn't like to enrage her, because it was simply dangerous. But at the moment he knew, he was more vulnerable than usual and it would be easier for her to try something. Not like his physical skills were of much of help against her, but they were useful. All he could really relay on was his own wits, Lady Luck's favor and the immunity to some of the witch's magic, she claimed he possessed. Kaito was only sorry he wasn't fully resistant to all of her maho…

She grimaced annoyed and approached him again, leaning so close he could feel her breath on his skin "You're hurt and I want to help you." She whispered quietly.

"Nah, thanks I'm fine." Could magic help him heal faster? Maybe. Was he going to willingly let a witch cast a spell on him? No way in hell. He still remembered an incident a few months ago, proving she was still after him, when she tried to slip something in his cup. Or the one before that, when she stung him with a strange needle and he ended up having an itchy rash for a few weeks.

She huffed annoyed and placed her hand gently on his right shoulder, causing the magician to slightly narrow his eye "I worry about you. You don't have to be wary of me. I have no ill will against you."

"Mmm~… Nice to know. Still - I don't need it." He straightened up sitting on the chair and averted his gaze to her red eyes "So thanks for the trouble, but I'll pass."

She narrowed her eyes knowing that he won't listen to her proposition "Why are you being so stubborn? Do you like to suffer so much?"

"Right back at you, Ojou-san." He smirked at her "I just want now to get some of my beauty sleep."

She rolled her eyes annoyed and left him. After a moment of consideration, Kaito stood up from his desk and went to the bathroom to check his uniform. Better safe than sorry. Kaito would have preferred to shove her away, before she even managed to touch him, but he wasn't as nimble as usual and didn't want to end up being brutal with her. He checked his hair when wardrobe inspection didn't reveal anything. And nothing. Before getting dressed again he checked his injuries hidden under far too many bandages. All seemed fine enough, so he put the clothes back on, hoping that the witch didn't steal a hair from him, or whatever she might need to try and cast a spell on him against his will.

Walking out of the toilet cabin he noticed Hakuba was in the washroom, washing his hands. Kaito mentally rolled his eyes and turned on the water for another tap, ignoring the Brit in silence. Why didn't the guy get bored with all this, was beyond the magician. Was it too much to ask to be left alone? It sure did seem so… Good thing Kaito knew how to be patient. At most he'd have to bear with it for another few months till the final exams were over. After that he wouldn't have to deal with any of them anymore. Walking back to the classroom he wondered what was he going to do after he finished high school… Attend the university or remind the world why Kaitou KID was called an international criminal? He opened the classroom and his gaze traveled to Aoko, who was still sulking a bit. He smiled gently. Yeah, maybe he'll stick around, for just a bit more in Japan. In the end there were now a lot of people who gladly supplied him with the jewels he needed to check, so there was no need to travel. Right? And it would be a bother to cover up that he traveled to the same places as KID. It was more convenient that way. And he would stick with this explanation.

* * *

On Thursday, like every other morning at school, after a nap Kaito was absent-mindedly browsing a newspaper. A grimace bloomed on his face when his gaze slid through an unpleasant title:

_***Kaitou KID went down with a blast! Could this be his end?*** _

He felt Aoko lean over his shoulder to take a peek, at what he was reading.

"Oh? They are still talking about KID? Aoko thinks it's high time he disappeared! I hope we will never see his ugly face again! But he just had to do it with such a dangerous way! Urgh! Aoko's dad got even hit on his head with a falling debris. He still has a bruise…" she huffed annoyed.

"Did he? I'm sorry, it must have been painful…" Kaito worried not letting any of his own pain to be visible on his expression.

Absent-mindedly he placed a hand on a splint , hidden under his clothes, immobilizing his cracked forehand bone. He got distracted arguing with the loudly yelling keibu, ordering him and his men to run. Some goon crept on him and nearly cracked his head with a baton, so he had to deflect the hit with his arm.

Struggling not to breath too deeply, due to his cracked ribs, he added hopefully "But I hope he's alright."

"Yeah, he'll be… you know how tick-headed he is. But Aoko sure hopes KID died for this." She said with an vengeful voice and added cheerfully "At least dad won't have to chase him anymore!"

"Oh? You talking about KID?" another classmate approached them curiously, Kaito recognized it was Togashi, who used to be quite excited after every heist "They say he died, because was too cocky with his last trick? Well… for some time now he wasn't anything big anyway. Probably burned out, heh. Now he'll probably be for a bit on first pages? Such a bother…"

"Aoko thinks so too! They shouldn't be talking so much about a slop who can't even handle his own trick, rig-"

"Aoko! What are you –" Hakuba cut in with a shocked voice, mortifyingly watching Kuroba's stiffening expression.

The detective was absent for most of the conversation and just came back to the classroom in time to hear what she said.

"Don't worry. It's alright." Kaito's quiet voice bleached out off emotions made everybody turn to him, he smiled with an artificial smile, he's never shown before "Magicians sometimes tend to go with a blast…"

Aoko's eyes widened when it occurred to her what she just said, she covered her mouth with her hands and mumbled.

"Kaito, I'm…" but before she finished there was an explosion of colorful confetti and the magician was gone.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sigh* And that's what you get for trying to live normally… poor magician…
> 
> For those who, just like Aoko forgot, a little tip – there was another magician, who went with a blast during his trick and his death was a powerful strike for Kaito.
> 
> And as for Hakuba – well all of The Gosho Boys have eidetic memory, so I guess it would be only natural for him to instantly recall such a thing, especially seeing Kaito's expression…
> 
> Hm… seems I do have a thing for cliffies xD But honestly after writing this I was sorrowful for a few hours myself xD
> 
> See you next chapter *bow* ;)


	11. Looking through the clouds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own MK or DC, or any other manga/anime to be exact. I just like to let my imagination run loose :D
> 
> Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story.
> 
> My dear reads – this chapter I present you with a little joy and breakthrough. Still not the one we could hope for, but oh well… Hope you'll like it.
> 
> I'm sorry I've kept you waiting, but you know.. sometimes life happens xD Unfortunately I probably won't be able to update during the weekend, since I have some work to do, so I promise not to leave you with a heavy cliffy this time ;)
> 
> So without further delay…
> 
> Please enjoy and review! :)

* * *

Waving off his face pieces of confetti, Hakuba cursed under his breath. Out of habit he dashed to the window, hoping to see fleeing Kuroba. The moment he reached it, he reminded himself, that now the magician was badly injured. Saguru wanted to avert his gaze and search elsewhere, but at then he saw movement from the corner of his eye. Detective leaned through the window to see Kuroba on the ground below, struggling to get back on his feet. Hakuba cursed once again and ignoring his classmates he ran out of the classroom, hoping to reach him before he managed to escape.

When the Brit got out of the building he caught a glimpse of the other teen casually passing the school gates. The blonde rushed after him and noticed him limping towards the path near a river. It was just for a moment that Hakuba saw his weakness, as just a few seconds later the magician was walking normally again. The detective narrowed his eyes and caught up with him. Hakuba evened his steps with his classmate's, walking beside him in silence. With a corner of his eyes he noticed that the teen was struggling to breath normally. His movement lacked the usual springiness and nimbleness. Suddenly the magician stopped, with his gaze still focused before him. Saguru stopped as well and turned to him, waiting calmly. Still without turning his eyes Kuroba spoke with a quiet, hoarse voice.

"Go away."

"I don't want to." Hakuba answered plainly, carefully searching his classmate's expression for a hint of true emotions breaking trough.

The magician clenched his teeth and turned to face him. There was anger blazing in those violet eyes, but underneath it there was also tiredness and sorrow. Saguru remained calm and waited.

"Leave me."

"I don't have any intention to."

"Gods!" Kaito huffed rolling his eyes in annoyance "Why do you have to be so persistent Hakuba? What am I supposed to do to you, so you would just give it up already?"

"Do you really want me to leave you alone?"

That confused Kaito, but he recovered fast grimacing "Didn't you listen?"

"I did. And I asked if this is what you really **want** me to do." He answered patiently with his eyes still locked in the magician's.

And in them, right before Kuroba averted his gaze, he saw a spark of understanding and something else, that he failed to recognize. As the magician didn't answer right away Hakuba continued with a soft voice.

"Then I want to stay."

Kuroba clucked, letting annoyance and the tiredness show on his face "Why are you doing this Hakuba? We're not friends or anything..." His voice was carrying a hint of pain.

"No... we're probably not." The detective answered with regret and added with a slight smile "But I would want to be."

That statement surprised the magician "Huh..? Why?"

"Because you helped me a lot."

Kuroba gave him a puzzled expression racing in his mind through all his interactions he had with the blonde. Quite a lot of colorful and fun memories for his part, but definitely no helping. He had to admit Tantei-san was far more reasonable and less suicidal than his other critics. After a moment of silence he raised his eyebrow looking back at the detective in search for answer.

"No... I didn't"

Detective's smile widened a bit "None the less I still want to be your friend."

Now wasn't that new? It was Kaito, who was supposed to be the one providing puzzles for his critics, not the other way around. But he was definitely not going to turn into a detective himself and start asking all those irritating questions they do. Not that he didn't appreciate the distraction Hakuba was providing him now. And he was so tired with how he had to act recently... So maybe he could let it go, just a little..?

"But you do know, that you're persistent and annoying, right?" He asked with exasperation in his voice, but a slight smirk crept on his lips.

"Yes, I am quite aware of that." Hakuba replied with a chuckle.

Kaito exhaled loudly "So I'm not getting rid of you..?"

Detective smirked in response "Not if I can help it."

"Riight…"

On any other occasion Kuroba would gladly pick up the challenge and vanish in front of the blonde, humiliating him in the process. But as things were now… Kuroba stiffened his Poker Face as waves of pain ran through his body. He was barely standing straight due to how he aggravated the wound on his leg. He could only hope that it hasn't reopened. He should have been in more control and refrain himself from doing a stunt like that.

Smile faded off Saguru's face replaced by worry, when he noticed the other teen's eyes darkening with a hint of pain. He forced himself not to express his thoughts through words and searched for a way to lend the magician a hand, without offending his pride. He moved his gaze to the river and spoke with a neutral tone.

"Do you mind if we sit here for a bit? I like the view…" And without waiting for an answer he stepped off the road and sat himself on the grass growing on the slope, hoping the magician would follow his example.

Kaito smiled wryly clearly understanding Hakuba's intention and promising himself more intense Poker Face training. None the less he followed the other's teen example, walking down the slope a bit further down. He carefully sat himself and laid his back on the grass turning his gaze to the sky.

"Yeah, sure." He exhaled with relief and closed his eyes.

They were relaxing like this for a while and Hakuba was wondering, if the peacefully breathing magician by his side didn't fall asleep. The detective watched his companion with worry. Magician's breath, although relaxed, was shallower than one would expect from a healthy person. Broken ribs? Probably cracked at least. Hakuba moved his gaze to magician's arm laying beside him, stretched on the grass. He remembered how Kuroba was refraining himself from moving it at all, or at the very least avoiding its sudden movement. Probably bone damage as well, but since there wasn't any suspicious shapes under the sleeve, he could rule out he had a plaster on it. So most probably it wasn't broken. Also cracked then? He moved his eyes to the teen's left leg also laying stretched on the grass. Hakuba grimaced remembering how the limb seemed to hinder the magician's movement. And how he saw him struggling on the ground, after he escaped from the classroom. The detective highly doubted any serious bone damage, it was most probably some severe muscle injury and considering the number of bullet holes at the heist scene, it was most probably a bullet wound… Hakuba worried, if it hasn't reopened because of the impact after the escape trick.

He looked at the whole magician wondering how many more injuries he was suffering from, but managed to conceal from detective's gaze. Just with what he did discover Saguru was wondering how Kuroba managed to move in a nearly natural way. Drugging himself with painkillers? Possible…

Watching him like that Hakuba noticed that Kuroba's skin tone on his face and hands was slightly different. Detective frowned, he didn't notice any difference back at school, but then again it was expected that Kuroba would turn pale, after a painful stunt and only skin on his hands turned paler. So the magician was wearing a mask or makeup to cover some face damage? Saguru could only hope that underneath the disguise were only bruises hidden.

Absent-mindedly Saguru was curiously wondering who patched up all of his wounds. And if the person was skilled enough to do it properly. Hakuba was struggling with an urge to check and confirm all his injuries, when Kaito took a deeper breath and spoke out with a lazy voice.

"You know… it's annoying and disturbing, when you stare at me with such intensity." He slowly opened his eyes and moved his gaze to the detective.

Slightly embarrassed Hakuba turned his gaze away "I apologize. I didn't intend to wake you up."

"No worries… I wasn't sleeping." Kuroba answered with a yawn "Can't fall asleep even if I want to, when somebody is watching me."

"Oh? You don't seem to have that problem at school."

"Napping and sleeping are two different things, jeeez…" Kaito rolled his eyes and moved their gaze to the sky.

Hakuba frowned a bit looking back at the magician and cleared his throat "Anyway, don't you think it would be wise, if you checked your injuries..? After a –"

"What injuries?" Kuroba cut in fast with a genuinely surprised tone.

Hakuba was not impressed and sighed heavily "Seriously..? We're still going to be playing like this?"

A wide grin that bloomed on the magician's face was enough for an answer. Hakuba closed his eyes and shook his head, well no point in pushing it, he guessed. The detective opened his eyes and asked with a careful tone.

"Are you still mad at Aoko..?"

The smile lessened to a sad one, as Kaito's eyes were following a cloud.

"I wasn't mad at her. Maybe a bit disappointed." He shrugged "But it's been ten years now. I don't expect people to remember about it all the time…" It sounded like he wanted to add something, but he refrained himself from it.

"But you do? In detail…" Hakuba always suspected KID for having a very detailed eidetic memory and he heard from Aoko, that Kuroba witnessed that accident.

"Yeah… very vivid detail…" His eyes darkened as he searched the sky for another cloud to gaze at "But I don't want to talk about it…"

"I'm sorry for bringing it up…" Hakuba was observing Kuroba's face as he shook his head slowly, showing that he didn't mind.

For a moment they were silent, both lost in their thoughts. At some point Saguru sighed and asked carefully, with a quiet voice.

"Maybe then you could tell me why did you try to push me away so much? Do you despise or fear me for some reason?"

„What?" Kaito threw him a puzzled look and laughed "Now why would I be afraid of you?" He asked with a mocking tone and waved off the matter "I mean come on, you couldn't make me do anything I wouldn't let you. I'm just that awesome and smart. And also it's not like you would willingly hurt me yourself. So, no fear here. And I don't despise you. You are persistent and annoying. Couple of times I may have wanted to prank you to death, or rather insanity for that. But you make me laugh far too often." a wide, sly grin split his face.

Hakuba face was deadpan, clearly showing that the taunt was not working "Then what was it Kuroba-kun? And did you decide to stop now? Or am I supposed to expect that this is merely a pause and you will continue this from tomorrow?"

The smile and laughter faded on Kaito's face. He sat back up and turned his gaze towards the river, placing his chin to rest on his folded right knee.

"Just 'Kuroba' is fine you know. I haven't been using any honorific at you anyway, so it's just fair."

Hakuba blinked a few times, puzzled with the thought if what his classmate just said had a deeper meaning, or not.

"Thank you. I'll gladly do that then." Or was it just a distraction? Hakuba narrowed his eyes at the sudden thought and added "But you haven't answered my question…"

Kaito smirked happily "Ah~! Always the sharp one~ That's what I like about you, you know~? I mean it's fun sometimes when I can just do what I want, but in the end it turns out just plain boring~"

"You're not going to manipulate this that easily Kuroba-k… Kuroba." He corrected himself with a slight soft smile.

"Manipulate? Me~? Why… I'd never~" But it seemed that Kaito's genuinely shocked expression did not impress his classmate, so he just snorted and rolled his eyes "Spoil sport… What's the point of being so serious anyway? That way you just grow old faster…" He gasped in awe "And if you grow old you get closer to death!" The magician straightened with wide eyes shooting at Hakuba and mortified expression "I don't wanna die yet! I'm too young!"

Saguru felt his eyebrow twitch. He wanted to strangle his classmate right now so bad… He started wondering, if the ignoring part was really that bad. He sighed heavily and rubbed his template. Yes, yes it was. Acting like a cheerful idiot was probably part of Kuroba's charm. Hakuba pondered with a serious face. But was it really his nature? Detective was ripped out of his thoughts with a sudden flick on his nose. He jerked his head towards the grinning magician with a shocked expression.

"Phew~! Thought I lost you there for a moment~"

Hakuba exhaled slowly, closing his eyes for a moment "Kuroba… Please, just tell me at least, if you plan on acting with like you have for the last few weeks, again?"

Kaito huffed tired, wondering if it wasn't a better idea to leave Tantei-san in his thoughts. He turned back to gazing at the river. He could play a bit more with the detective. He really did miss teasing with him like this. But the guy did look like he was at his limit and Kaito should return home and check his wounds. Probably a little honesty could be good also…

"Don't know."

Saguru looked shocked hearing a serious voice from the magician "And what does it depend on?"

"You."

Hakuba stayed silent for a moment recalling once again his last interactions with the thief, before it all changed. And he still didn't understand it. Neither did Kudo, if Saguru could believe his words. He sighed defeated.

"I don't know what have I done, to make you act the way you did. I would like you to tell me, so I won't insult you again like this. I sincerely want to be friends with you Kuroba and I have no ulterior motive to that. And I'd hate to wait until you get hurt again, so I can prove that to you."

Well… crap. Kaito sighed trying to form his thoughts as fast as he could. He was thinking just the other day, that he shouldn't allow anybody to get near him. But he didn't know how to explain it so the detective would finally give it up. Nor did he know if that was what he wanted to do. The Brit was somewhat likeable…ish, or something like that. But a kaitou shoul -… Ah to hell with it. He wasn't a kaitou right now and even when he was, he surely wasn't a regular one. If there even was such a thing as a 'regular kaitou', but that was a thought for later to ponder on. He gave himself a mental slap. No matter how appealing it might be, no distractions now. Kaito looked back at Hakuba with serious gaze.

"I might like being friends with you. At school and such." Before he continued, he stared at him long enough in silence, to be sure the blonde understood what he meant by that "Catch your murderers, while being surrounded by the police, pin down the culprit. It's important and you're good at it. Have fun chasing KID, trying to catch him. But refrain yourself from asking me your questions, that are not related to **me**. And most of all… Stop **searching for** questions."

"But I want to help y –" Hakuba started, but stopped as Kuroba placed a hand on his shoulder cutting in with a soft smile.

"You have. I needed a distraction and a laugh, and I'm grateful that you gave it to me." He stood up dusting off his trousers "I don't enjoy acting, like I have recently. So just think about it, alright?" Kaito gave him another smile and walked back at the path.

"Kuroba…" Hakuba called at him and the magician stopped turning to him "Where are you going? I could ask Baaya –"

"I'm fine, remember? And I could use a nice walk. So thanks, but there's no need for that." Seeing that detective wanted to protest he sighed and continued "I'm just going home. Aoko will be there soon to apologize to me. She'll be sorry for what she said, so I'll let her to make it up to me." He smirked amused "But before that… I have to prepare a special treatment for Togashi-kun, for tomorrow." His grin widened not promising anything good for said teen "So, see ya at school and thanks again for coming after me." And without waiting for an answer he left.

"See you tomorrow Kuroba." Hakuba answered quietly and sighed.

After considering everything that was said he took out his phone and texted a message to Kudo.

_*Can't meet you today. We had a breakthrough, but it doesn't look too promising. Not sure if he wouldn't follow me, so better contact by phone. I'll call you around 16:30 if it's alright.*_

* * *

Shinichi was slightly confused with the text he received. What could have KID done this time? Did he notice something about Hakuba? How did the Brit manage to provoke the breakthrough? Did something happen? He wanted to phone, or at least text those questions right away, but figured that the teen could not talk freely at the moment. Holding back his curiosity he wrote back agreeing to established time.

* * *

Aoko indeed came to meet with Kaito right after school. She was very sorry for what she spurt out back in the classroom and didn't want to accept it, when he told her that it was fine and he wasn't angry at her. To make it up to him she took him out to a café to buy him some tasty treats. Aoko promised herself to be nice to him for the whole evening. It took Kaito about two hours to get her yelling and arguing with him.

He really enjoyed this evening and thanks to their quarrel he managed to escape her. Looking forward to what he was planning on the next day, he went to see the butcher, who patched him up after the heist, so he could repair the stitches on his leg.

* * *

It was around 16:30, and Shinichi had no doubts, that it was precisely that hour according to the other teens watch, when his phone rang. This time they skipped their usual chit-chat they usually had over the phone, as both of them were eager to get to the main topic. So after a brief greeting Hakuba told him about his talk with the thief, leaving out any personal information. He sighed heavily, when he finished.

_"I'm at a loss here Kudo-kun. I probably should take his offer and just keep on doing what we're doing behind his back. But it seems we're only running in circles this way and honestly it wouldn't feel right to do so anyway."_

"Hm… 'Don't search for questions' huh? So most probably he doesn't know how much you already dug up and is trying to keep you away. Guess he thinks he's protecting you and odds are it's the same for us too. You don't think that given time he would reconsider and fill you in, do you?" Shinichi asked with little hope, rather to confirm his conjectures.

Hakuba sighed heavily _"Not likely. I could be wrong, but I don't think acting secretive bothers him as much as acting cold does. And considering what happened last time, I don't think we have time to just wait and see…"_

"Yeah, I don't think so either. Listen, I've been thinking a lot on how to make him talk. And with this deal it's impossible for you to achieve it alone. So now it would be the best if all three of us could approach him. Gods, one time I was so annoyed with it, that I even considered for a moment kidnapping him to make him listen." There was an displeased growl on the other line, so Conan quickly continued "It was more like a joke idea, don't worry. I know it would backfire hard on us. I thought of ways to try and manipulate him, but… There are so many unknowns that it could turn out in too many ways to predict, so I'd rather avoid it. In the end I came up with this… Just think about it for a while before you say 'no', ok?" As Hakuba gave an approval noise Shinichi explained to him his plan.

The Brit was quiet for a while thinking it over and started laughing _"He's going to be so annoyed when you do it. You're right, he won't even try to escape if you do it that way. But you won't be able to talk about anything important that way either. And he is going to deny everything to you."_

"Doesn't matter. It would be the start we need. And it's not like we need his confession to tell him later on what we know."

_"_ _Well, that part is going to be hard…"_

„Yeah well.. We can always try and kidnap him and force into hearing us out…" Shinichi teased and Hakuba answered with a chuckle.

_"_ _Alright we can try it this way. Guess it would be best to do it as soon as we can? I would prefer to let him rest for now, but… no point in waiting. I'll give you a call when I can arrange what you need."_

"Alright, I'll summon Hattori just in case. Learned anything new about his state that worries you?"

_"Well, it's not like I know anything for sure, but most likely he is suffering from rib and forearm bone damage and severe thigh muscle damage. I'm not sure if there isn't more that he managed to conceal from me. Up until now I thought that he was sle… napping-"_ He corrected himself with slight amusement _"-so much during class as an act, in order to avoid too much movement. But now I suspect he's genuinely sleepy due to painkiller drugs."_

"I don't think he would take so much, that it would dull his mind." Kudo denied his assumptions and asked with worry "From your point of view… How long do you think it'll take him to recover?"

_"It's hard to say. He might be merely careful with his injuries and because of that my diagnosis is exaggerated. But I honestly doubt it's the case. I don't believe he would be willingly showing any signs of weakness. On the other hand I don't know how resistant to pain he really is. Nor what he's willing to do to conceal his condition. For all I know he might have his forearm broken and be carrying other bone damage, than I've noticed and simply decided not to wear a plaster, as it is harder to hide it. Best case scenario I'd say that it could take around three weeks for most of his mobility to return. In worst case… months. Can't even say how long only his leg needs to recover, since I don't know how deep or wide the injury is."_

"I understand. Damn… Probably the best would be to wait until he sends another heist note, but who knows if until that time he'll just stay put. Since you told us that he's always busy outside of school I started wondering what besides training he does in that time…"

_"Well I won't try to force him to anything. And since he decided he can attend school it should be fine. Just remember to warn Hattori-kun to be careful."_

"Sure. And Hakuba-kun? Sorry for putting so much on your shoulders."

_"Not at all. I'm grateful for your assistance and I do hope it will work. Take care. Just to be safe don't call me on your own, better text."_

"No problem. Bye."

* * *

 

Friday at Ekoda High started with a slight surprise when Kaito responded to Hakuba's greeting and smirked at him. But it was fast forgotten when Togashi sat on his chair and it exploded. The blast looked genuine enough to give everybody a scare, but it left the teen blackened with smoke, but completely unharmed. When he recovered from initial shock he yelled at the class prankster telling him that it wasn't funny, but the magician acted like he didn't know what happened. Later on each time Togashi opened anything (his backpack, notebook, doors and such) there was another explosion. He was trembling and on verge of falling to madness. When he went to toilet and his zipper exploded, he just burst to tears and begged kneeling before Kaito, so he would finish his torment. Finally a wide, mischievous grin bloomed on Kuroba's satisfied face, when his victim promised to never again in his life make remarks like the previous day and never, ever say a bad word about KID-sama. Of course he didn't admit it was his doing, but none the less the explosions stopped after this.

At first Hakuba wanted to help his classmate, but then again he decided not to. First of all he didn't want to annoy the magician when he was on a prank rampage and secondly… the guy probably deserved it anyway. So instead he focused his mind on their plan, wondering if he could manage to initiate it this weekend.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do hope you had a laugh or two, like me x)
> 
> Doesn't look like our poor kaitou is gonna have much rest anytime soon, huh?
> 
> I know you guys hate me for not telling what they are planning but it'll be more fun that way for you I believe~
> 
> Probably the first chapter I had so many problems with naming xD I was just so blank with it – struggling whether give it a comforting one or maybe a bit disturbing, due to the plotting hounds xD
> 
> See you next chapter *bow* ;)


	12. Hunting or hunted?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own MK or DC, or any other manga/anime to be exact. I just like to let my imagination run loose :D
> 
> Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story.
> 
> This chapter I present you how our detectives will put their plan into action. As I am sure you'll notice, the first part is written from Kaito's perspective only.
> 
> First of all I wanted to apologize that it took me this long to update. Unfortunately I've got a tense situation at work, but it shouldn't last longer than one more week, so I'll probably have you waiting only once more ;)
> 
> So without further delay…
> 
> Please enjoy and review! :)

He was abandoned by Lady Luck. This much was obvious… It's probably all because he decided to act friendly with Hakuba. Yep, best settle with blaming him. At least it's a little fun. But not the point here… All started yesterday, at school. Ahoko got mad at him because – as she claimed – 'he pranked Togashi-kun too much'. Yeah right, the little weasel had it coming. Heck, if Kaito knew how it was going to end he would do so much more, than just explode everything the guy opened… Anyway after that Aoko was just a pain, he tried to distract her and eventually managed to, promising her to spend some time with her on the next day. Well, he had plans only for the evening and since he couldn't train too much, he guessed that he could spare some of his rest. Was he ever going to just be able to lay down and rest for a day? He doubted it… Aoko tried to make him agree that Hakuba would join them, but no way. He may have agreed to go easy on the detective, but he surely didn't intend to let it move that fast.

In the morning not surprisingly Kaito found Aoko and Hakuba both standing on his doorstep. Again. This time, he did slam the door in their faces. And it felt good. Too bad he only managed to smirk a bit before he got kicked out from his house by his mother… traitor. Oh yeah – she came back a couple of days before, like the stray cat she was. She decided that she would be acting like a mother now… At least what she believed mother should act like. Kicking out an injured son didn't quite match with what Kaito would expect from a 'motherly care'.

That's how he ended up going to a café with Aoko and Hakuba. The girl was annoyed for the 'door slamming' thing, he was annoyed by her bringing the blond along, so they argued for the whole way there. Kaito even managed to lighten up a bit, but seeing how Hakuba was acting bugged him. He was just too quiet and a couple of times Kaito noticed signs of worry on his expression, when he was sure magician wasn't watching. Was he still going through their conversation? Or maybe he felt guilty for butting into their private time? He should if he had any decency. None the less Kaito decided to keep a closer look at the blonde, just in case he was planning something. But besides that, nothing unexpected seemed to be happening.

With a simultaneous sigh with Aoko they finished their quarrel and sulked a bit. That didn't last long. They all made their orders, started chatting and it seemed everything would turn out nicely.

Just as Kaito started relaxing, letting his guard down, somebody roughly grabbed his left shoulder. He barely held back a wince. He turned towards his assaulter only to notice to his dismay a dark skinned guy yelling at him with a strong Kansai accent.

"Oi Kudo! Why didn't you say you returned, huh?! And why aren't you in Beika? Got in an another quarrel with your little wife?" Hattori was babbling fast and loud, laughing in between and not letting anyone to cut in, while Kaito was struggling with his flee or fight instinct.

He would sure love to question why did this happen, but he couldn't let his mouth babble just random things, while he would be busy with his thoughts. So once he regained control over his Poker Face, he backed out a bit rising his arms.

"I think you got the wrong guy here. Don't know any 'Kudo' and sure am not him myself."

A quick glance lower reveled the shrunken Kudo beside his Osakan friend… Well… that was expected… If you see Tantei-han you are bound to see Tantei-kun somewhere near. Lady Luck really did hate him today.

Fortunately Aoko decided to join in the dialog, so he could gather his thoughts. Now why did he ever think it was a good idea to let that shrimp know, that they look similar? Ah… because it was so hilarious to see his shocked face back then. Kaito sighed mentally. But wait a minute, Tantei-kun was here so why did… Oh no they didn't… They were expecting him here, weren't they? And it's a trap to make him squirm. But how did those two even know he would be here, Kaito didn't usually pick this café. Unless… hounds are pack animals right? He threw a quick glance at Hakuba, who was showing now an inconclusive shocked expression, at the newcomers. 'You're gonna be so sorry if it's your doings…' he thought. He had to recall what was said until now, as he had to move, because Hattori was pushing his way on a bench, Kaito was sitting on alone. He wouldn't normally let him on it, but if he didn't move the other teen would bump into his injured leg.

"That's right, he's Kaito, not Kudo." Now, why was Kaito grateful to Aoko for butting in? Oh right, time for thinking…

"Huh?" Hattori blinked in quite convincing surprise "But he looks just like Kudo Shinichi. You sure, you're not the one mistaken?"

"No, he's Kuroba Kaito, my childhood friend, like I would mistake him for anybody else…" Kaito had hard time not shooting Aoko an annoyed look and another to the devilishly smiling shrimp.

"But look here…" this was the moment Hattori decided to sit next to Kaito, forcing the magician to make some space and taking out his phone "See? This is Kudo with his girlfriend – Ran. By the way you could be her sister!"

Aoko and Hakuba in unison leaned towards the phone to take a look, sticking to his role Kaito also took a glance there. The girl let out a shocked gasp and took the device to take a closer look.

"Huh, freaky. Who knew I had a doppelganger." Kaito's voice was nothing but impressed "But who are you guys? And who's this 'Kudo' guy anyway?" He threw a suspicious look at the two boys. Little imp sat himself next to Aoko and Kaito was sure he did that just to annoy him more…

"Oh right, we haven't introduced ourselves…" the guy was so going to regret that sly smile… "My name is Hattori Heiji and this kid here is Edogawa Conan. His my friend's cousin. Me and this guy here…" He poked the phone "We're kind of famous. They call me the Great Detective of the West and he is from the East." Kaito was glad he didn't have to hold back his smirk seeing how Tantei-han was proud saying that.

Kaito spoke before Aoko could introduce herself "Hm… Great Detective you say? Probably not so great… Never heard of you…" The annoyed glare from Heiji was all the pay the magician hoped for, unfortunately Tantei-kun only smirked at it "You Aoko?"

The girl shook her head with apologetic smile towards Heiji and looked at Hakuba, who shrugged.

"Well yes I did, we have even met a couple of times with Hattori-kun… As for Kudo-kun, we haven't met yet, I believe." He answered to the silent question.

His tone did indicate that the Brit and the Osakan didn't love each other too much and a little something about Kudo, but Kaito couldn't place his finger on it, yet. But it wasn't important now.

'Got ya!' He held back the victorious smile and asked thoughtfully "Oh, you did? And is he any good? Compared to you, that is…"

The frown on Hakuba's expression made magician sure, that he saw through his scheming, but he couldn't just boast the hot-head "Well… He isn't that bad…" He tried to get out of the question diplomatically, but Hattori cut in angry, clearly swallowing the bait with the hook.

"The hell? I could solve a case, before you would even figure out your zipper."

"Unless you would destroy all the evidence running around like a maniac." The Brit sighed tiredly.

"At least I have my priorities right!"

And it looked like there was no stopping them, as Aoko's and Conan's attempts to calm them down went unnoticed. Kaito pondered a bit over the hint of a smirk which appeared on the Osakan's face, just before he took the bait. During the quarrel their order was delivered and the magician asked for an additional slice of cake. Eating his ice-cream Kaito was holding back his grin, content listening and betting which one would withdraw first, when Conan asked loudly with his chirping voice towards him, in an attempt to distract the two.

"Kaito-niisan, are you also a detective?"

Hearing the question made Kaito stop holding his grin back, as that was all he needed "Me~? Heavens, no~! I'm much more fun than that… I'm a magician~!"

There was a blast of confetti which covered him and Hattori. A startled "Oi!" left the dark skinned teen mouth and a second later there was another rain of colorful paper around Conan. As the confetti covers cleared the magician chirped "Smile~!" followed by a click of a camera. Aoko covered her mouth and Hakuba's eyebrows moved upwards when they saw Kaito holding his right arm around shoulders of the now neon yellow-haired Osakan, with full make-up and glasses on his face. The girl squealed delighted looking at the little boy held by the magician with his left arm. He didn't have his glasses on and his hair was ruffled in the same way Kaito's were.

"Oh my gosh! Kaito~! How did you do it? He looks just like little you~!" she took the startled boy out of his hands.

There was a small puff of smoke, as the camera vanished from Kaito's hand and he let go Hattori. 'One blackmail material obtained~' He smiled at Aoko and waved his finger at her.

"A magician never reveals his secrets~"

Hattori rubbed his face and looked surprised at his colored hand "What the..?" He looked puzzled at some bystanders laughing form the scene and looked at a hand-mirror given to him by some woman "The hell?!" He stood up suddenly and dashed towards the bathroom, nearly trampling the magician, who just barely managed to move away.

"Hattori-kun! Don't use wat –" Hakuba stood up and yelled after his fellow detective to stop him from making a mistake and regretting it later.

"Oh no, you don't~!" Kuroba cut in with a devilish smile and there was another puff of confetti.

After the paper cleared again Kaito was sitting at his starting place, near the window, propping his chin with his left hand and watching Hakuba with delight.

"Pink really is your color~ You should consider permanent change, you know."

The Brit sighed not impressed, nor angry and took out a bottle out of his pocket.

"You're getting predictable Kuroba…" And he sprayed the substance on his hair.

Hattori let out a scared yelp, as he saw watching from the distance, when Hakuba's head got covered with pink foam. The Brit tried to shake it off, but it seemed in vain. Conan and Aoko moved away from the now resigned teen and watched the mess on his head in awe. Kaito was glad he was himself right now, as he could laugh to his heart content. Were they going to get revenge on him? That was for sure, but at least he's going to get his fun before it happens~.

"You were saying~? Kekeke… Hakuba… Thought you'd learn by now~…" He kept laughing as the Brit's hair turned into a pink afro.

"Oi… What will happen if I wash mine with water..?" Hattori, with his eyes still focused on the mess the ex-blonde's head was, asked with shocked voice pointing his own hair.

"Who knows~? Why don't you give it a try~?" Kaito teased and threw a glance at Conan.

He grinned imagining the boy with green hair. The shrunken detective looked at him with startled eyes and hid behind Aoko, quickly smoothing his hair back to the cowlick.

"Nee-chan… I'm scared…" He cried clenching his fists on her clothes.

She protectively locked her arm around the boy "Don't worry Conan-kun, Kaito is NOT going to do anything to you…" Aoko threw an annoyed glance at her friend, challenging him to do so.

Imp's act maybe was good enough for Aoko, but Kaito didn't miss the sly spark in those blue eyes. He should have dyed his hair before, but couldn't help wanting to show off before Aoko. He clucked annoyed, he was not in shape to face a mop-fight and a vengeful detective at the same time. And how fun could that be?

Hakuba was calmly studying a hair, he plucked out of his head and scrubbing it with his nail, while Hattori slammed his hands on the bench and table next to Kaito.

"Oi! How do I wash this of?!"

The magician grinned at him and shrugged "You're the 'great' detective~ Figure it out~"

Kaito didn't miss how Heiji stopped his movement, when he nearly touched magician's right arm. Nor how he slightly widened his eyes as he did, or the angry look Hakuba shoot at him for it. Kaito smirked, as that was all the proof he needed. He leaned on the window, pushing Hattori away with his foot. Then he flipped over the backrest, supporting all of his body weight on his left arm for a brief moment and landing on his right leg, on the next table. Detectives gasped disbelieving they had an injured man before them. Few of the audience clapped their hands. As Kaito felt a wave of pain from his ribs, he bowed deeply towards the onlookers to hide his expression, if anything unwanted should slip from under his Poker Face. Back in control, he looked back at Hattori.

"Catch me and I might tell you~" He sang showing his tongue.

Conan laughed dryly seeing as his friend took the bait again, clearly not learning his lesson from the last time. Hakuba watched in awe how Heiji ran towards Kaito to tackle him.

"Hattori-kun!" The Brit's voice carried a threat.

The Osakan slowed his swing, clearly recalling something he shouldn't know. Magician smirked and dodged it with ease. Unfortunately he felt his body was closing to its limit as he moved, so he had to cut the fun. After another dodge he quickly retreated to the corner of the ceiling, shocking his audience and the two detectives who didn't know this trick.

"Oi Aoko~! Seems I found a perfect match for you~! A brute and a failure of a detective in one person~! Kekeke…" He laughed covering his heavy panting and pained grimaces.

"Bakai –" she roared standing up, but was out-shouted by Heiji.

"Get down from there you freak!"

"But you'll hurt me if I do~! Attacking so fiercely poor little old me~… Shame on you~!" He quipped, causing peals of laughter from his audience.

"This is not a place for your tricks young man! Get down from there this instance and stop making a scene!" A woman, probably the café owner stepped in ending the fun "And you stand down!" She pointed her finger at startled Hattori.

Using her moment of distraction Kaito jumped down and bowed before her, gently taking her hand and placing a kiss on it, conjuring a flower for her when he did.

"I apologize for all the inconvenience I've caused and I promise not to do it again, beautiful lady~" As she turned with shock at him, blushing and taking the flower, he locked at a watch on his arm "Aw damn… Sorry Aoko – gotta run. Have fun with those failures~"

Hattori wanted to stop him, but when he saw the magician taking out a handkerchief out of his pocket and waving it at him. The detective jerked back seeing as the material grew as Kaito flopped it, not willing to get pulled into another trick. And then, when it covered teen's whole body for a brief moment it just fell on the ground, with the magician nowhere in sight anymore.

* * *

The Osakan blinked at it and looked around. Hakuba and Conan managed to catch a glimpse of Kaito leaving through the crowd and out of the building with something in his hand. A waitress who was bringing additional order to the table gasped as she noticed one plate missing. Heiji growled annoyed unable to find his opponent. Huffing with anger he ripped the material off the ground, uncovering a piece of paper under it. He picked it up and read the few words written on it, smiling dryly. He turned back to the table, to join the others.

"Tsk… What's the deal with that guy..?" he asked annoyed sitting back at the bench and passing Hakuba the note he found.

Aoko huffed annoyed blowing her cheeks "Bakaito is always like that! Always annoying everybody and… Ugh... I could just..." She looked back at Heiji's and Conan's shocked looks and blushed a bit refraining herself from continuing the thought "I'm sorry..." She wanted to go on, but noticed Hakuba frown over the note.

She blinked a couple of times and leaned to the side to see what Bakaito wrote on it.

_*I know you owe me Hakuba_ - _yarou, so start with paying the bill!*_

Detective sighed tired, not surprised to see that Kuroba was mad at him now. He bit the inside of his cheek. After hearing out Kudo's explanation he made up his mind to give it a try. He figured that if worst came to worst, he preferred having the magician angry with him, rather than being able to see him only at his grave in the future. Hakuba could only hope now that their deduction was correct and he would at least listen to them tomorrow. They chose to approach him for the first time during a meeting with Aoko for two reasons. First to stop him from fleeing and second, to show him that they had no intention to blow his secret. But it seemed he had planned an escape beforehand anyway… Figures… At least now they could try and reach him. If Kudo was correct he shouldn't try to avoid them, too interested to see what they wanted from him. Hakuba guessed that Kuroba wouldn't mind to tease them in the process. As he noticed that the girl by his side went silent, he asked with a curious voice.

"Say Aoko-kun… Do you happen to know where did Kuroba go?"

"Yeah well, he told me yesterday that he would have to leave around this hour to do his errands…" The detective hummed in acknowledgment and she continued biting her lip "Nee… Hakuba-kun? Did you two get in a fight again..?" She asked facing her knees, clenching with her fingers the corner of her blouse.

Conan noticed her concern and placed his hand on hers showing a reassuring smile.

Ex-blonde looked at her widening his eyes. He gasped holding back a chuckle. So that was it. Kuroba didn't write the note like this as a message for him, but rather for her. He wasn't mad, but confused. Most probably instead of feeling betrayed the magician was just unsure what to think about Hakuba inviting the other detectives. So now he was testing him with Aoko, just like before he did with his injured arm. Kuroba was trusting him to clear this situation on his own. And he was challenging Kudo and Hattori to question her. Hakuba could only hope the other two boys would hold back their curiosity. With reassuring smile he shook his head slowly and spoke with a soft voice.

"We just had a long chat the other day about that whole unfortunate situation. We still do have some things to clear out. I wouldn't want to talk about it in more detail, but I don't think there's any need for you to worry."

She smiled with relief hearing those words "Thank you Hakuba-kun. Aoko was so shocked to see him act like he did for such a long time. And Aoko thinks it pained him too. Aoko doesn't even know what happened… But please, don't let it be like that again, alright Hakuba-kun?"

"No worries, I have no intention to."

That did sound like a private talk and Heiji didn't want to intrude. He was feeling awkward, not sure if he shouldn't leave. He poked his order with a spoon. Well at least he wasn't annoyed anymore, until he started grimly wondering how to get this dye off his hair. He started rubbing his face with a handkerchief to wipe off the make-up and sighed heavily bringing everybody's attention to himself, as he finished.

Aoko gasped noticing that she forgot they had company "Oh my, sorry about this! Aoko feels like an idiot…"

"Nah, don't worry about it… um…" He smiled sheepishly not sure how to call her.

The girl slapped her forehead "Oh right, in the commotion Aoko forgot to introduce herself! Sorry about that too. My name is Nakamori Aoko, pleased to meet you."

The boys gasped hearing her full name and Conan asked with perplexed voice "You don't happen to be related to Nakamori-keibu, the one who's in charge of KID Task Force, are you?"

"He's my dad~!" She chirped happily.

Hakuba held back a snort of amusement and only slightly smirked seeing their reactions.

Hattori laughed dryly mumbling "Heh… what are the odds of that..?"

Aoko threw him a puzzled look clearly hearing what he said "Huh?"

"Ugh… erm you see…" Hattori waved his hands searching for an explanation and pointed at Conan "This little guys here! They call him the 'KID-killer'. He probably has a lot to do with your dad."

"Oh~! Aoko thought I knew your face from somewhere! So you must hate that jerk thief just like me?" She beamed smiling to the little boy.

"Heh… So you dislike him so much Aoko-neechan?" Conan asked with curiosity feeling somewhat sorry for the magician.

"Aoko sure does! Aoko hopes we won't have to see him ever again…" she turned away recalling the last time she bad-mouthed the thief and how it ended, but she recovered fast, adding with annoyance "And Bakaito claims to be his biggest fan! Aoko is sure he says that only to annoy me!"

"Y-yeah, he does seem the type to do that…" Heiji tried laughing dryly at the awkward situation "He seems like his the opposite to Kudo, right Conan-kun?" He added trying to change the topic.

The boy nodded at that cheerfully and then they told her about his older self and Ran. Heiji received an annoyed glare from the shrunken detective, when he described the Heisei Holmes being inferior to himself. Aoko was most pleased to hear that her doppelganger was a karate champion and was willing to meet her, sure they could be friends. The cheerful chatter didn't last too long and soon they left the café. The boys parted with her, as Hakuba excused himself saying he wanted to talk about a case with Hattori.

* * *

They walked in silence for a while, as each of them was gathering their thoughts, heading towards Hakuba's mansion. Heiji was glad he could hide most of his hair under his cap, especially seeing how much attention did the Brit was draw due to his pink afro. Despite that he seemed to be taking this without much concern. Wondering about that Hattori was the first to break the silence.

"You seem to be talking this easy. Used to it?"

Hakuba threw him a puzzled look and sighed noticing the Osakan was looking at his hair "Yes, well… Probably most of our schoolmates are. Nowadays even the teachers rather ignore his antics then try to do anything about it. I'm pretty sure that, once we get closer to that direction less people will be surprised to see me like this."

Conan chuckled joining the conversation "When you say it like this he sounds a lot more fierce than KID."

Hakuba snorted amused at this "Well I guess you could say it like this. Kuroba tends to do what he wants and gets away with it with his charm. But still, he does have his boarders. He never hurts anybody and usually doesn't humiliate too much, unless you annoy him that is." He chuckled "Best be prepared for the same thing tomorrow. Although I would suspect he would want focus first on Kudo-kun, as he didn't get his chance today."

Hattori threw his friend an annoyed stare, reminded that he was the only one to avoid the hair color change. Conan laughed dryly grinning at the Osakan. Heiji clucked annoyed and turned to Hakuba.

"You could have told us before he does stuff like that…"

"Oh, didn't I? I'm sorry I must have forgotten to warn you…" It sure didn't sound like he was sorry about it, but Hattori decided to settle with a glare.

Hakuba sighed and continued, taking out a notebook and writing something in it "Anyway I feel I must apologize to you, for not discovering before that he was to leave so soon…"

"Don't worry about it." Conan smiled at him reassuringly "We managed to meet him officially and that was the main point for today. Anyway, it's probably for the best that he left when he did. I'd rather not imagine what more was he planning to do, if he had more time. But I wonder where he went. From what I've noticed this little encounter left him rather tired and in pain…"

Hattori frowned with worry at this and Hakuba just nod, ending his note and showing it to his fellow detectives.

_*I think that most probably he bugged us, so best watch out what you say*_

Conan raised his eyebrows and pat his jacket wondering where he could have put it, recalling how the thief grabbed him.

Hattori gave Hakuba a bit shocked stare "Oi, oi... are you kiddin' me?"

The blond sighed hiding the note in his pocket "Well I'm afraid that with -"

"I don't mean him." Hattori cut in with disbelieving expression "We gave him a scare and he well deserved it. I still intend to give him a piece of my mind about how he was acting, but don't go overboard here..."

Conan frowned watching his friend closely "What are you talking about?"

Osakan clucked annoyed clearly not suspecting Shinichi would share Hakuba's point of view "Don't give me that Kudo. You said it yourself to not push the culprit too hard and he's not even a culprit here. Guy has done wrong, but we already agreed that he wanted good, right? I was glad to hear that he ain't scared of us, so don't go trying to give him a reason to. I'm sure you've seen his face when I grabbed him. Didn't show more than a startled gaze, but I guess that's as much as you can see from him before he jolts.

"You have to remember he's been hunted down and blown up just a while ago. We ourselves didn't give him yet a lot of reason to trust us too much. So don't go acting secretively. Think he'll be happy when he sees us through? We all know it's more his game anyway, so I wouldn't doubt that he will. Best be honest with what we want from him. And as you said it yourself, let him decide on the next step." He shrugged "If he bugged us it'll just be easier for us."

Brit's eyes widened a bit as he put what he's learned together "... So you didn't fall for his trick? You took the bait willingly?"

"Sure did. And I had hell 'a fun with it too." Hattori grinned challenging towards the still pink-haired teen.

Conan chuckled dryly "Oh yeah? Attacking him was still a fully controlled idea?"

"Tsk... he may have enraged me a bit there... But still wouldn't hurt him. I do have enough control like that, unlike you with your soccer balls after you launch them."

"I'd still rather see you refrain yourself more from actions like that." Hakuba cut in with an annoyed glare at the Osakan.

"Oh yeah? Why don't you tell him that too? Anyway he didn't seem like he was to complain. And I didn't even try to take him off that ceiling. We know this guy can take care of himself, so don't go acting like a 'mother hen' for him…"

As Hakuba was clearly angry and wanted to reply, Conan cut in fast raising his arms "Guys, guys! Calm down, both of you alright?" Seeing they focused on him, he turned to the Brit "Hakuba-kun, try not to worry too much. You said it yourself, you don't know how injured he really is. He is cocky and reckless, but he isn't stupid. He knows what he's doing and anyway unless you want to tie him up, best leave him at it."

Hakuba clucked annoyed and averted his gaze from his fellow detectives "Alright, guess you might be right."

* * *

Fortunately they weren't far from their destination and once inside the Osakan felt odd holding up the tense atmosphere against their host. He started a carefree chatter with his friend about food, encouraging Hakuba to join in the conversation. Somehow thanks to that the tension dropped.

Later on the Brit run some tests on his own and Hattori's hair, discovering that Kuroba used his usual mixture to dye the Osakan's hair. Needless to say Heiji was not amused to know that he could have used Saguru's antidote already at the café. It took a while, but eventually Hakuba managed to get his own hair back to normal too and stored the new formula.

Detectives searched for possible bugs and found only one in Saguru's hair, after he got rid of the afro. Despite their efforts Hakuba wasn't sure if they managed to find all of them. The two detectives wondered if he was just being paranoid, or was KID that good. The latter possibility made them anxious, so they decided to drop the subject.

They decided to finish their talk without getting rid of the bug they found. They agreed that on the next day Hakuba would be to alone visit Kuroba and ask him to meet with all of them. They stated firmly that they didn't intend to force anything onto him, hoping silently that the thief would listen to the record before tomorrow, as it could make things easier.

* * *

Kaito was walking towards one of his safe-houses to switch his outfit and check, if his wounds weren't too much aggravated from his play with his detectives. He was humming to himself cheerfully. He once again felt like he was Lady Luck's favorite and silently apologized to her for ever doubting her.

Now why did he think meeting all of his critics as himself was such a bad idea again? Oh right… Because they were a bunch of bloodhounds aiming to put him behind bars… But he had so much fun it was worth the risk~ And the additional pain… He hissed as another wave flooded him from his ribs. Doing a flip over the bench? Not his best idea in his condition. But he just loved the startled look on their faces it earned him. Anyway he decided that he didn't have to worry too much about the meeting. It didn't matter how many detectives were there as long as didn't have any evidence. And Kaito was sure he gave them none. He also had tones of alibis, just to be sure. So he could use those three as his pastime to amuse himself, before he could hold another heist. He just had to always have an escape ready, if they managed somehow to corner him.

He sighed heavily changing his clothes. Unfortunately he had to leave the happy thoughts for now, as what he would be doing now was going to be serious and require his full concentration. He'd gladly take up his unexpected vacations, as KID was temporarily considered possibly dead, but he couldn't have that believed by everybody. So instead he put on his not-so-random male mask and his trade mark smirk, leaving to places he didn't like, to let some people notice that he was alive, well and not afraid.

When Kaito was finished, he switched back to his regular clothes and headed back home. On his way he was happily reminding himself of the fun he had with his critics. He sighed wondering about the whole situation. A week full of pranks to get back at Hakuba sounded way better than the glaring and going for the silent treatment. That thing didn't work at all anyway. But now it mattered more to figure out what this situation meant. It was too obvious to be a trap, right? Or was it what they were hoping he would think… Or was it the opposite? It wasn't too surprising for him to discover that his detectives were working together. It could have been that way for a long time now and Hakuba could have decided to be finally honest about it… Kaito frowned irked. Here he was, solving another puzzle his detective presented him with. That was definitely starting to be annoying.

He ruffled his hair wondering if he should seek them out on the next day, after he finished his business, to have some fun. He had no doubts that they would try to make his life a living hell now, so at least he could take out form it as much as he could. And anyway he couldn't care about it. 'Have fun now, regret when the time comes~' he hummed happily to himself.

* * *

His mother was waiting for him when he returned. She had the best Poker Face Kaito had to deal with since his father's death. Despite how good he's become at figuring what people hid behind their masks, she was a hard nut to crack for him. When he came back, he could see only glimpses of worry hidden in her expression, which he thought were genuine. The knowledge how good he could be with his skill, if he had the opportunity to train with her more often saddened him. Even with this detail he was left alone. Just like with everything else.

"So Kaito, did you have fun with your friends~?" she sang happily.

He winced and threw her an annoyed stare "You mean after you kicked out your injured son, neglecting him his very needed rest to recover?"

"Mmm~..." she confirmed humming cheerfully, clearly not concerned by his words.

He clucked unpleased with her reaction "I ended up overstraining my injuries, while running away for my dear life, from yet another brute and a little devil. They just seem to be piling up around me for some reason..." He sighed raising his arms.

"I'm happy to hear you had so much fun Kai-chan~ Now go get a shower, I'll prepare dinner~" She chirped cheerfully and went to kitchen.

He chuckled amused and allowed his smirk show on his face as went up the stairs to do what she asked him to.

Afterwards they spend some time together. Kaito showed her a few heist videos letting his mask slip enough, so she saw he missed her and was happy to have her home. Chikage praised and teased with her son, but for all he could tell she didn't let any true emotions slip from her iron mask. They didn't mention his 'errands' and spend a lovely and full of family warmth evening. Both of them tried hard to believe the atmosphere was genuine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! That ended as a long chapter xD I hope it'll make up for the long wait ;) I had a lot of fun writing the first part xD Hope you guys liked it ;)
> 
> I know you guys probably expected something more from the mysterious plan, but… I've been over a dozen of them (and yes – I had an idea of a KIDnapping that should work too xD probably gonna turn it into a humorous one-shot, when I find the time ;) ) and only saw multiple reasons why it was a bad idea. Finally decided that Shinichi might want to bet on KID's self-confidence that wouldn't allow him to withdraw from a challenge, when there was no clear risk involved. Up to this point irking him made him willing to take revenge rather than run x)
> 
> Am I just evil with those bitter endings or what? xD
> 
> See you next chapter *bow* ;)


	13. Playing with the fox

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story.
> 
> This chapter will start with a warning. If you're in an area you shouldn't laugh, you might want to reconsider reading it now, because this chapter starts with a bit of it ;)Further in the chapter you'll get to read about a proper 'Gosho Boys' meeting.
> 
> So I ended up with another writing-frenzy instead of doing what I was supposed to… Figures x) Unfortunately after this there will be a pause again – sorry xD I promise to update as soon as I can ;)
> 
> So without further delay…
> 
> Please enjoy and review! :)

Hakuba heard Kuroba's shouting from the inside of his house as he approached, as well as clatter of various items being knocked over by people running around. Not thinking much he rushed inside, shoving the doors open. Shout on his lips was held back as he saw a glimpse of the magician in a short sleeved shirt and shorts. It was only a moment before the white smoke erupted, but he was sure he saw bandages covering his limbs, as well as fading bruises and a few band-aid on his face and KID's card-gun in his hand. The other person in the room was a dark violet-haired woman Hakuba never saw before. She was holding in her hand, just outside of Kuroba's reach a floppy, skin-colored item – most probably a mask.

"I'm gonna start calling you Yarouba…" Kuroba huffed with annoyance before the smoke cleared "You live in a barn, that you don't know how to knock? What the hell are you doing here anyway?"

As most of it dissipated Hakuba saw Kaito was wearing a pink, womanly bathrobe long enough to cover his limbs. There were no signs of facial injury or the card-gun either and he was clearly mad at the detective before him. The woman beside him was having a hard time holding back a chuckle, watching the scene. Hakuba cleared his throat and lowered his gaze ashamed a bit.

"I'm sorry, I've heard you shouting and thought…" He started his apology, but was cut off.

"Oh really..? And what makes you think I can't handle myself?" Kaito huffed annoyed and turned his back on him, heading towards the stairs "Get lost, I'm busy."

"Kuroba I wante-"

"Kai-chan! Wait a minute! We haven't –" They started simultaneously cutting each other off.

But Kaito plucked his ears with his fingers and sang loudly "Tralala~! Not listening~!"

He went into his room shutting the door behind him. The woman winced at the sound and sighed turning her attention to the detective. She smiled at him cheerfully.

"Hum… And who might you be? Hakuba…" she pat her lips and gasped just as the Brit wanted to answer her "Oh, I know~! You must be Hakuba Saguru-chan, right? The detective who claims my Kai-chan is Kaitou KID~. He is right you know, pink really does suit you~." She chirped cheerfully, clearly not worried about Kaito being a suspect.

Hakuba coughed surprised by her words "Why, yes I am. You're quite right. And who might you be?" He asked reaching for his hand-mirror, as her last statement managed to get through his initial shock. His hair were bright pink – obviously… He didn't even want to wonder why Kuroba had a pink dye ready while wearing only shorts and a shirt.

"Oh~ My name is Kuroba Chikage, I'm Kai-chan's mother~ But mouu… Kai-chan is so cruel to me, I tell you~! He doesn't listen to a word I tell him~! I have no idea where I went wrong!"

'Being absent for most of the time might be part of the problem…' Hakuba laughed dryly looking at the whining woman before him. He wondered if she was even aware what her son was doing during some moonlit nights. Probably she did. He cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Um, it's nice to meet you. I'm sorry for barging in like that. I –" Hakuba could now clearly see where Kuroba had the habit of cutting him off from.

"Oh don't worry about it Ru-chan~" She waved the matter off, back to her cheerful self "I'm happy to see my Kai-chan has a caring friend like you~"

He was slightly perplexed by the name she called him and by the praise she gave him "Um… Thank you..?"

"You're quite welcome~ Not tell me Ru-chan, did you have any special reason to come here today, or did you just want to hang out with my naughty boy~?"

Her pattern of speech was very disturbing for the Brit, who wasn't sure how to respond to it "Um… well I wanted to ask Kuroba to come with me and have a talk with my friends, he met the other -"

She cut in again "Oh is that so~? I'm afraid that might be a problem…" She pat her lips and moved towards the stairs "Best check then, if he's still home… You see I didn't want him to leave, so he might have escaped by now~." She chirped happily climbing the stairs, clearly not worried at all about the possibility.

Hakuba only opened his mouth, but decided to not comment her words and just closed it again. Craziness and excessive cheerfulness must be a family thing for the Kurobas.

The woman knocked on her son's door and opened it. Hakuba took only a short peek inside noticing how neat it was. The only thing out off the ordinary was a large KID poster hanged on a wall. She sighed locking the door again, throwing him an apologetic smile.

"I'm afraid we're out of luck…"

* * *

In the mean time Conan and Heiji were waiting on the other side of the road, where they had a good view of the building. The shouts from Kuroba's house and Hakuba barging in it alarmed them, but as the other detective didn't call to them for help, they decided to stay put. Seeing the Brit close the door by himself calmed them and they started chatting wondering, if he had any chance to bring out the magician. They both doubt it.

A few moments later Hattori noticed a dove ascending towards them and landing on Conan's head. It was holding a folded piece of paper in its beak. The Osakan blinked at it surprised and the bird blinked back at him cocking its head slightly. It cooed softly, dropping the note. Conan caught it and waved at the dove to spook it off. It clearly didn't like being treated like that, as it peaked his hand. Heiji chuckled at the sight.

"Oi! Help me get it off instead of laughing like an idiot…" Shinichi was clearly not amused by his friend cheerfulness.

Hattori snorted, holding back a laugh "Sure, I'll help a child in distress, attacked by a vicious monster."

Conan threw him an annoyed glare as Heiji reached slowly towards the dove to grab it and take it off. The bird cooed angrily flapping its wings and peaking his hands. It strongly clenched its claws around Conan's hair, causing the boy to hiss and shake his head. That enraged the dove even further as it started to peak the boys head and hit it several times with its wings. The situation was hilarious from Heiji's point of view, but the peaks actually hurt, so he felt pity over his friend and didn't laugh. They decided to leave it alone for a while and unfolded the note.

_*I'm busy right now, but I guess you'll be as persistent as Hakuba is,_  
seeing that you came all the way here and all...  
If you still insist to see me, we can meet at the river around noon.  
I'm sure that yarou will know where.

_Kuroba K._

_P.S. Try not to bother Aya-chan too much – her bladder_ _might not be able to hold too much stress…  
If you know what I mean ;)*_

Conan's eyes widened and Heiji started laughing madly.

"That's not funny Hattori!" He growled at his friend and moved away a few steps feeling that the laughter annoyed the bird on his head "Quit it!"

"Sorry" He apologized whipping off a tear "So how do feel to be a nest for the next…" He checked his watch and snorted "Three hours, or so? I think I prefer a dye…" He chuckled again.

"Ha…ha… very funny." Conan was clearly not amused and started walking towards the house, learning the hard way not to make any sudden movements "Come on, I'm gonna try and make him to take it off…"

Heiji followed his friend, keeping a few steps space between them to not upset the dove, which seemed to have dozed off, clearly feeling comfortable where it was. He knocked on the door and they waited for it to be opened.

They didn't expect to see a woman with short violet hair to open them. She looked at them with a puzzled expression before it bloomed with cheerful smile.

"Oh~? More guests? How nice~!" She stared for a moment at the small boy and chirped happily "Oh~! You must be Conan-chan, they call 'the KID-killer', right~? And you…" She moved her gaze at Hattori and stayed silent for a moment, before smiling again "I'm afraid I have no idea who you are~."

Not that it was expected for a random woman from Tokyo to know him, but none the less stating it in this way made Heiji flinch a bit in annoyance. Hattori smiled forcefully and responded in less amused way than he intended to.

"I'm Hattori Heiji, nice to meet you."

"Hm… Hattori Heiji, you say?" They saw a spark of recognition in her eyes, or so they thought "Sorry~ Still doesn't ring a bell~."

They heard Hakuba chuckle, barely holding in his laughter. Conan snorted as well, annoying Heiji even further. He grind his teeth.

"Doesn't matter. We wanted to talk with Kuroba-kun, so he could take back his dove, mind if we come inside?"

"Oh, I don't mind~" She opened the door wider letting them inside "But I'm afraid Kai-chan isn't in. Seems he jumped out of the window to escape me~"

Her chirping voice so didn't match her words it was disturbing. Hakuba sighed heavily saving his fellow detectives from distress they clearly were in.

"This is Kuroba Chikage, Kuroba's mother. And it seems he did indeed leave somehow… Is it his dove?" He threw a stare at the napping bird, noting the resemblance to its master's behavior.

Conan's eyes widened as he heard the introduction and his gaze started examining the woman before him. He recalled KID tipping him, that his mother was Phantom Lady. Heiji threw his friend a puzzled look and responded for him.

"Yeah, seems he send it with a note and we can't make it to get off." He moved his gaze at the woman "Maybe you could help us?"

She hummed and leaned closer to the dove and gently scratched it's head. The bird cooed clearly pleased with the caress. Chikage smiled cheerfully and shook her head.

"I'm afraid not~ Aya-chan is rather stubborn, so if she doesn't want to get off best leave her be, until Kai-chan takes her off. I'm sure you can bear with it Co-chan~"

Shinichi laughed dryly. Cheerful chirping wasn't what he expected from a kaitou who's trade-mark was fear. Maybe KID just pulled his leg back then? She clapped her hands happily.

"So, do you boys want something to drink~?"

"Nah thanks, we'll be on our way. We don't want to disturb you." Hattori smiled at the sheepishly, not able to stay mad at this crazy woman.

"Oh, don't worry about it Hei-chan~! You boys don't bother me one bit~. I'm always happy to meet and have a chat with Kai-chan's friends~."

"It's nice of you to say so, but none the less we should leave. Thank you for your hospitality." Hakuba cut in smoothly before Hattori managed to answer.

"Alright then~ But do come back later and bring Kai-chan with you, ok~?"

"Sure, we'll try." Hattori chuckled and they left the building saying their goodbyes.

* * *

Once outside Hakuba threw a puzzled look at the dozing dove on Conan's head.

"Mind if I ask, what's the problem with the bird?"

Hattori snorted and Shinichi threw him another annoyed stare before answering "It doesn't want to get off and KID warned us in his note that it will empty it's blabber, if we try to force it…"

The Brit gasped and closed his mouth, deciding not to add to Kudo's torment. Heiji chuckled again focusing his gaze at Hakuba's hair.

"I see Kuroba-kun wasn't happy with your visit?"

The ex-blonde sighed heavily "Clearly… So did the note say anything more?"

Conan joined him with a sigh "Yeah, he said he would meet us at noon, near a river. He claimed you know where exactly." He turned his gaze to his chuckling friend "Quit it Hattori… He already got both of us. Which means, you're next." The child grinned grimly.

That worked as Heiji grimaced realizing the truth behind Kudo's words and stopped laughing. Hakuba smirked seeing his reaction and nod his head.

"Well, if he put it that way there is a place I think he might have meant. But I propose we head back to my house for now. I'll gladly get rid of the dye and I believe you'd rather not walk around with a bird nesting your hair."

"Good idea…" Conan agreed easily.

* * *

And so they did as they planned. The dye was easily erased with the first formula this time. While they were trying to pass time the dove became anxious again. Despite Kudo's worries they decided to feed it and it calmed it down. Besides that they chatted for most of the time. It didn't surprise any of them that despite Kaito was supposed to ran thru the window the detectives didn't notice him, after all he was Kaitou KID, so they didn't wonder too much about it. At some point Conan asked Hakuba.

"Are you sure she was his mother?"

"Well not really. She's rarely home and that was the first time I met her. But I had no reason to doubt it, since Kuroba didn't mind her presence at his house. I can ask later Aoko about her if you want. Why?"

"I just imagined her differently." Conan sighed and continued his thought "What about his father?"

Hakuba was silent for a moment, not really sure if he wanted them to inform them about this part of Kuroba's life. Eventually he sighed, figuring it didn't matter and answered "Dead. Died in an accident around ten years ago, during a show."

The boy's eyebrow raised slightly "A show? Was he a performer of some kind?"

"Yes. His name was Kuroba Toichi. They say he was one of the best magician's in his time."

"A marvelous magician deceased ten years ago, you say? Doesn't sound like a coincidence to me." Hattori cut in with his remark.

"Yeah, but it's somehow difficult to believe KID would die in a simple accident. At least if he was as good as the one we know." Conan added his doubts.

Hakuba sighed crossing arms on his chest with a thoughtful expression on his face "I've heard Kuroba claiming his father was a lot more skilled of a magician than he is. Aside from that, from what I've read there was a few heists after his death, so it was never confirmed that he was KID."

Kudo patted his chin "Wouldn't be surprised, if his mother preformed those to cover it up."

"That crazy lady we met just now?" Hattori threw a puzzled look at his friend.

Conan gave a nod "Aa… KID tipped me once that his mom was Phantom Lady. Would have never guessed seeing her…"

"What? You're sure about it?" Hakuba was shocked hearing this news.

"Who's Phantom Lady?" Hattori wasn't amused being clearly the only person left outside the conversation.

"Well, he could have just joked about it, or something." Conan shrugged and turned to his friend "Phantom Lady was a kaitou that retired soon after the first KID's appearance. From what I've found out her trade-mark was scaring people to unconsciousness. At some point she was used, by some people who wanted to earn selling fakes of what she stole."

"Whaa? That chirping lady back there was a fear-kaitou? Hard to believe…" Hattori grimaced shaking his head.

"Yeah, but she could have changed after all this time. It's been around twenty years since she retired. Or it could have been an act she showed us. It sure would explain why Kuroba is so good with what he does, despite his age. Being a son of two kaitous and all…" Conan shrugged pointing his deduction out.

Hattori smirked "He must have had an interesting childhood I imagine…"

"I doubt it…" Hakuba stated with a grim voice "His father died when he was eight and from what I've heard that's when his mother left him to his neighbor's care…"

"Whaa? Why would she..?" The Osakan was shocked hearing this statement.

Hakuba lowered his gaze and answered with a quiet voice "Hard to say. She probably couldn't handle her loss…"

They went silent, each of them wondering about the thief's life. Conan clenched his teeth. Ayumi, Mitsuhiko and Genta, as well as the rest of his classmates, were eight right now. He couldn't help but wonder how would they handle a situation like that. He didn't want to think about it. The atmosphere was grim and only the soft cooing from the dove warmed it a bit.

They went out half an hour early to reach the place long before the meeting. They wondered what Kuroba might have prepared for them. They decided against preparing a trap for him themselves, as they thought it wouldn't be wise in their situation. For the whole way there Heiji was anxiously looking behind his shoulder, worried when KID will pop-out at them.

* * *

They expected Kaito to suddenly appear out of nowhere or approaching them in disguise at least. Seeing him just walking towards them casually, with his hands in his pockets surprised them. When he reached them, he showed an unamused smile and spoke with matching voice.

"Yo… So what do you want from me?"

"Could you first take off your dove?" Conan's face was deadpan as he pointed the bird sleeping on his head.

That caused the magician to smirk and let out a snort "Aww~ But she looks so happy there~ I'd hate to wake her up…"

"I'm not amused… Take her off. Now." A vein plopped on Conan's forehead as he struggled not to yell at the thief before him. The dove woke up with the motion and cooed surprised.

"You sure are scary Chibi. Aww~ And look, you woke her up… how cruel can you be? Alright, alright, calm down." He raised his hands seeing another vein plop out and he snapped his fingers.

A small puff of smoke covered the child's head before he managed to jerk away. Kaito crossed his arms on his chest and crooked his head smiling.

"I knew green would suit you~"

Heiji held back a chuckle not willing to pull thief's attention to himself and Hakuba sighed taking out a mirror out of his pocket. Conan's eyebrow twitched, but he didn't take the offered mirror. He drove a hand through his hair to smoothen them back to his cowlick, hoping the dye meant, that the bird didn't leave any 'surprises' on his head.

"Alright, you had your fun. Happy now?" The wide grin was enough for an answer "Good, can we talk now seriously?"

"Oh sorry, not my style~. Thought your blonde friend here told you that already…" Kaito shrugged stuffing his hands back into his pockets "But hey, can't really stop you from giving it a try~." He grinned again.

Conan pinched his nose bridge "Why don't I just strangle you instead."

The magician chuckled "No idea~ I don't know even what you want to talk to me about, Chibi."

"Oi, quit it. You know we want to help you, so listen us out at least." Hattori cut in seeing his friends murderous intentions rise.

Kaito moved his gaze towards him and narrowed his eyes, smirking at the still-un-pranked teen "Oh~? Care to tell me what you guys want to help me with? And it's heartwarming, considering we met only yesterday."

"Stop with the act KID. You know too well what we're talking about…" Conan sighed glaring at the thief.

The magician sighed heavily "Yeah… I feared this yarou would share his delusions with you. You see, I'm only a fan. Probably KID's biggest fan, who happened to be a magician, but nothing more. Want me to start explaining why it's impossible for me to be him now or later?"

Hakuba clenched his teeth, but clearly wasn't going to say anything, leaving the talk to his fellow detectives. Shinichi smirked only and suddenly raised his arm, flipping up his watch cover, making a movement like he would shoot the needle from it. Out of reflex Kaito dodged the none existent needle. As he regained his balance with glint of annoyance in his eyes Conan chuckled.

"Nice reflex there. Care to explain why are you wary of my watch?"

Kaito huffed and rolled his eyes "You're a creepy one, 'KID-killer'-chan. Really wonder why I rather watch out for anything you do, since you claim I'm your target? A tip here… I don't wanna end up being killed~"

The boy sighed, seeing he won't accomplish much trying to make him admit anything "We don't have any proof only because we're not trying to catch you, you damn thief. But sometimes you do get sloppy…" He took out of his pocket a small item covered in cloth.

He threw it at Kuroba, who caught it easily and unwrapped it with interest. He blinked a couple of times not showing in any other way his surprise to see a broken monocle, stained with dried blood. He gently ran his finger on its surface.

Conan tucked his hands in his pockets carefully watching every movement Kaito made "I never showed it to the police, nor did I ran any tests on it."

The magician examined his gift for a moment longer in silence. Kaito wondered if he should show them a little trust. Now he still could deny it with ease and destroy the evidence. But could he really convince them he was not KID? He doubt it. He turned the broken monocle in his hand. He remembered having it shot off from his face so long ago and decided, a gift like that was worth a reward. He looked back at the shrunken detective, with a blank expression. Who knew? Maybe the gamble would pay off? He spoke carefully.

"I'm sure KID would be grateful to you for it." With a snap of his fingers he flipped the monocle high into the air and focused his gaze on the child before him "But it still doesn't answer why do you think he needs your help."

Without looking at the falling object he caught the monocle with two fingers. But as the detectives noticed now it wasn't broken anymore. Waiting for an answer Kaito crooked his head, turning the item in his fingers, so sunlight would shine brightly in the smooth glass.

Conan swallowed acknowledging it was the most the teen would do to admit he might be KID. Not that they needed him to admit anything. He saw his eyes were bleached out of any hints of amusement as the thief was carefully judging him. He clearly was interested and that was all they wanted.

"Because he's being assaulted on his heists, usually shot at and any proof about it is being altered or concealed." Kudo stated wondering, if the magician would show any reaction to it.

Kaito smirked "Oh~?" He flipped the monocle into the air again and kept silent until he caught it again "I doubt it would trouble a criminal, that somebody messes with police files. So you think he's in danger, because he's being assaulted?" His voice carried a hint of amusement.

Hattori snorted not sure what the teen was talking about "That would be rather obvious…"

"Hum… I'll ask it from a different angle then… As a fan only concerned for his idol, of course." He smirked at them "How many times has he been shot at?" He focused his attention to the shining item between his fingers.

Hattori huffed annoyed "We told you already the files are being altered, we can't –"

"Let me rephrase that again then." Kaito cut in, without showing any interest in the conversation, focused on playing with the monocle in his fingers "How many have you confirmed, with your limited capabilities?"

Conan and Hattori frowned wondering what the thief was getting at, so it was Hakuba who answered "We confirmed it happened about twenty now, but we're not –"

"Twenty? Quite many if you ask me…" Kaito cut in again and flipped the monocle into the air again, he continued this time not waiting for it to fall "And how many shooters were there usually?" The object he caught wasn't a monocle, but a shiny bullet.

Shinichi gasped finally understanding his train of thought, Hattori turned at his friend, still not sure what to think about it, but understanding something was off.

Hakuba just frowned and answered without any hesitation this time "Lately it's been only one."

"Sounds to me that somebody is bored. Or incredibly stupid." He flipped the bullet and chuckled with amusement "I mean how many times can you shoot a guy to finally understand, that it won't work?" He caught the monocle, but it was again the broken one, only cleaned from any traces of blood. He smirked at his shocked detectives "Doesn't sound to me like he is in much danger, or is in need of help."

"But if they are not trying to kill him… What is their goal?" Hakuba asked in awe.

Kuroba shrugged his arms and spoke with a hint of irritation "How should I know? I'm only a teenage fan." He smirked playing with the monocle he received, spinning it between his fingers, clearly showing that he wouldn't give them anymore tips and was not willing to answer any more questions.

While his detectives were wondering about what he told them, Kaito flipped the monocle into the air again, catching a pencil in his fingers. He kept on tossing the object into the air each time catching a different one – a shiny stone, a coin, a marble, a small comb, tweezers and other small items like that. The monocle didn't appear anymore. He knew his tricks and the way he was ignoring their questions irked the other boys, who were still eyeing him, but that made it more amusing for him. Kaito was idly wondering, if their deductive brains could find an answer to the question that has bothered him for so long now.

* * *

At some point he noticed two small girls watching him with sparkling eyes. Kaito smiled softly and winked at them encouraging the children to approach him. When they did he caught the falling object closing it in his palm this time. He leaned towards his viewers covering his closed hand with the other one.

"Three, two, one!" he counted in English and with a small puff of smoke he opened his hand.

The girls gasped delighted seeing a white dove, flapping his wings in the magician's grasp. He moved his hand closer so they could pat the bird. It cooed gently, clearly happy with the treatment. The girls were laughing cheerfully and Kaito's grin widened.

"Ojou-chans~… would you like to see another trick?" He sang at them softly catching their attention.

The girls nodded their heads fast in their excitement, taking their hands from the dove. There was another small puff of smoke, that covered the bird and when it dissipated the animal was replaced with two white flowers held in his hand. The girls clapped their hands, but Kaito stopped them holding up his finger of his free hand. He gently tapped petals of each flower causing a small eruption of confetti and a tiny plushie dove fell from each, hanging on them attached by a chain. He gave the flowers to the girls who started squealing with delight and ran away towards their parents to show them what they received. Kaito straightened watching them with a cheerful grin. His expression changed fast into annoyance, as he felt three detectives eyeing him with intensively.

"What?" He asked turning to the pint-sized detective, who was now standing next to him.

Conan shook his head smiling at the magician "Nothing, that was just nice of you…"

"Don't even think I'll give you a flower. You're too creepy…" 'and evil' his eyes added "I'm sure it would wilt fast, if I did." He explained smirking.

The child showed an unimpressed expression and Heiji started laughing, bringing the magicians attention to his still-unpranked-self. Kaito looked around, focusing his sight for a brief moment on small flowers growing in the grass and grinned in a way that usually made his classmates shiver.

"Hm… I wonder…" He murmured quietly and a smoke covered the Osakan cutting off his laugh.

When the cover dissipated Kaito was standing behind Hakuba, so he would have him between himself and the dark skinned teen. He watched his work with satisfaction nodding at it.

"I knew it~"

The cheerful expression on magician's and shocked on the two detectives' faces only made Hattori more anxious.

"What did you do this time?" He growled annoyed touching his hair "Huh..?"

There was some kind of stiff layer on them. Hakuba passed him his hand-mirror, so he could see himself. Whatever Kaito used on him made his hair sparkling with daisies neatly tucked between them. Heiji opened his mouth wanting to comment this, but closed it again. Instead he turned his annoyed look at the magician, who started laughing openly, pointing a finger at him, barely holding his anger.

"Get. This. Off. Me!"

"Aww~ But it suits you so well~ I know~! I should take a picture and send it to your friend!" He took out of his pocket a phone, that looked awfully like Heiji's phone.

Conan laughed dryly seeing his friend chasing the thief around Hakuba, who tried hard to stop both of them, or at least get out.

* * *

The smile faded of Shinichi's face, as he started pondering again over what Kuroba told them. His eyes were following the laughing teen and he wondered, if he would answer, if they managed to find the right question. Or maybe he would be willing to tell them more, if they managed to answer his puzzle. But it was also possible he didn't know it himself. The only problem was that he left them with too little data. They deduced that people targeting him were most likely after the same item that the thief was looking for. And most probably neither of them knew what exactly it was. Thus the heists and the constant rejections of the most expensive gems in the world. Considering KID didn't have any ulterior motive, he probably had only a hint of an idea what he was looking for and had to examine the jewel closely to determine, if it was the correct one.

They spoke loud enough for him to hear their deductions, but he didn't show any expression to acknowledge any of their conclusions and only continued with his antics. Clearly he didn't want them to know what he was after, or maybe figured that they didn't need to know? Grimly Kudo had to agree that for this puzzle they probably didn't. And only their curiosity was bringing up the question. So all that mattered was that KID and the other party were after the same object. Considering those guys didn't want to kill him, meant that they probably needed him. But why shoot him at all then? They could just watch from afar and wait… Shinichi gasped and smirked as a few more puzzles fell in place when he connected everything he and other detectives deduced.

"They had to show themselves to him at some point. Why?" He asked loud enough for all three teens to hear him.

Kaito shoot him a surprised gaze and Hattori stopped chasing him. The other two detectives averted their gazes at the magician, who crooked his head and raised an eyebrow, showing he didn't understand what Kudo meant by that. Conan tucked his hands into his pockets and calmly explained, carefully watching the thief.

"The people who target KID. They had to meet with him for some reason, at some point, despite not willing to work together. Most probably they had to tell him something. So now they can't hide again, or he might think that they found what they were looking for, or are not interested in it anymore. That might cause KID to stop his heists. And for some reason they want him to keep looking. Am I right? What did they tell you?"

KID's Poker Face went solid, without any cracks, not showing even a hint of emotions, neither on his face nor in his eyes. Kaito buried himself deep in thought recalling once again the mysterious phone call he picked up on the street after one of his random heists, way back when he didn't know yet what he was looking for. He didn't find it too strange much back then only because of the gravity of what the voice told him. Only after some time he started questioning how did they know he was there. And why did they want his attention. 'Blue Birthday' heist was the first one he was shot at and he nearly died back then. Was it a coincidence it was then when he learned what and why he was looking for? Back then he was still naïve and excited to finally find his purpose. But he wasn't anymore… He knew he had exceptional luck. But he learned not to believe in coincidences too much. He figured himself that for some reason they wanted him to hear the explanation. But he never managed to answer why. Could Tantei-kun be right? Why would they want him to search for Pandora? He turned the question around. Why didn't they find Pandora themselves during those eight years, when there was no KID to bother them? He knew they had enough power and resources to be able to… In the end the number of possible gems that could hold it was finite and not that great. There had to be something more to it… Was he himself somehow important to finding the jewel?

Suddenly Hakuba's shout brought him back to the present. He grinned challenging at his detectives few feet under him, as he was balancing on a wire, spread between two buildings. He felt waves of pain flowing through his body, as adrenaline was leaving his system. He hummed showing amusement he didn't feel, recalling what happened. He was careful not to show how dizzy he was feeling. He cursed silently his habit to let his body work by itself, while he was busy thinking. Clearly also he felt too much at ease around those guys…

* * *

Kaito always found it easiest to think while he was moving. It came in handy usually as he couldn't afford to stand still during a heist and it allowed him to be more flexible with multi-tasking. Unfortunately it wasn't always perfect, as he could react only to things he programmed himself to or was familiar with. That meant that he wouldn't run nor hide, if he didn't feel threatened. And that he might not show any restrain when he did. So without noticing it himself, after his consciousness buried itself he sighed tucking his hands in his pockets. He smirked at other teens and shrugged like he would be ignoring the question again. He turned his back on them and started walking towards the city, leaving his detectives.

Hakuba called to him, but as he didn't respond and ignored him they decided to follow him. He didn't seem to mind their presence or notice it at all. Hattori noticed with a whisper how silent the thief was now. The Brit was shocked when he pointed it out. Kuroba didn't make any sound at all. The Osakan tried to mimic him, but failed. He could be quiet, but his clothes, or rubble he stepped on made slight noises. Shinichi focused more on his movement, seeing how precise and focused it was. Just like on the first heist of the fatal series. He smirked wondering where the thief was leading them, or if he was even aware that he was. They all were thinking the same thing and so they followed him silently. At some point they heard him cluck and a moment later he bumped with somebody. He apologized sheepishly to an annoyed man and turned into the next alley. Once there, with a tired huff, he pulled out a gun from his pocket and started taking out the bullets. That shocked Hattori who spoke startled.

"Oi! What the hell? Where did you get that?"

As he reached to him the thief seemed to take notice of the detective for the first time during their travel and everything afterwards turned into a blur, as he started moving faster than they thought he could. The gun vanished, just like that, without any smoke or other distraction and KID swirled towards Hattori hooking his elbow with detective's. With the momentum they turned around forcefully towards the other teen. As Hakuba was in his way, he pushed him away with his foot and used the energy of the kick to move his lower body upwards. He unlocked his elbow with Hattori and with centrifugal force he allowed his body to ascend a bit, before gravity reclaimed back it's rights. He placed then his hand on the Osakan's shoulder, just in time for him to support all his body weight on it. For a slight moment, when he was facing the other teen upside-down, he showed him a predatory grin, with his eyes showing nothing, but complete focus. As the move continued he flipped over Heiji, just like he did the other day over the bench, and landed on a fire escape of an adjacent building. Once there he immediately sprang towards a wire spread between buildings and grabbed it. Using the momentum again he turned over it and landed on it with his feet, ready to run.

"Kuroba! Snap out of it!" Hakuba let out a loud shout.

Balancing on the line Kaito stopped suddenly, relaxing his muscles. He tucked his hands into his pockets and grinned challenging at them, as if nothing unusual happened.

The most fascinating thing about this astonishing, rapid show of skill was, that not for one moment he moved his right arm and just barely used his left leg.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So seems our detectives managed to finally scratch the edge of the true problem at hand. Wonder how Kaito will try to shake them off now?
> 
> Yeah, I could go on, but the chapter is already long, so I thought why not leave it with a little cliffy and update faster, since I'll be too busy to write anything more during the week? ;)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> See you next chapter *bow* ;)


	14. A trapped mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own MK or DC, or any other manga/anime to be exact. I just like to let my imagination run loose :D
> 
> Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story.
> 
> I hope this chapter will provide you with a bit of a surprise. Unfortunately I cannot provide you this time with a lot of action to remunerate you for your long wait. I hope you can forgive me that.
> 
> Phew! That took me so long to write. I'm very sorry guys, I had so much work all this time. I was extremely tired and had no energy to write something serious xD And it sure didn't help me write that I had a few ideas how to go with it xD But now it should be fine. I'll still be a bit busy, but at least now it won't be stressful at all, so I should be able to update at least once a week ;)
> 
> So without further delay…
> 
> Please enjoy and review! :)

"Why the hell did you stop him?!" Heiji snapped at Hakuba and averted his attention to the magician above them "Oi! Get down from there fast, before you go into a crash and fall!"

Not waiting for any response he ran towards the fire escape and jumped to pull down the ladder. He started climbing it fast, to reach the same level the other teen was on. The other detectives paled understanding what the Osakan was referring to. Adrenaline rush was often an aim for many thrill seekers and while KID undoubtedly was used to benefit from it, but there was a huge difference in using it in a control matter and turning it on from panic. And since Kuroba wasn't exactly conscious when it kicked in...

They shot their panicked gazes at Kaito, who sighed annoyed, clearly not happy with their reactions, that indicated they didn't fall for his act. With his hands tucked in his pockets, he opened his mouth, but closed it again either not being able to speak or simply deciding against it. The two boys on the ground noticed that it was starting to be hard for him to hold his balance. Panting hard Heiji finally managed to reach his level. He grabbed the wire, but didn't dare to get on it. First of all he didn't know, if it would hold weigh of two people and second... well there wouldn't be much he could do even, if he reached the magician. He had good balance, but not that good and wasn't used to walking on wires.

"Oi! Come on get off that. Sorry for spooking you out back then. You don't have to run ok?"

"Pfff..." Kaito chuckled and turned to him with mocking stare, still unable to fully hide his heavy breath "You think you'd see me here, if I wanted to run? You guys started to annoy me toddling after me everywhere I went. So I decided to see how you manage, if I go to higher grounds." He grinned, but it seemed his eyelids were heavy for him. Probably his vision was getting limited.

"You made your point, so get down now, ok? I still need to make you get this mess of my head!" Heiji added an irritated tone and pointed out at his still sparkling hair. His cap was left on the ground as it dropped during their spin.

The magician snorted "And ruin such a fine work~? Sorry, no deal. But on second thought... I do have an idea how to make it nicer~" He hummed wondering and started looking around casually.

"Oh yeah? Think I'll fall for it again? Think again!" Heiji laughed and moved away from the wire, in case Kuroba was hesitating from getting off it because of his presence there.

The magician hummed cheerfully, grinning at the detective. He closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head, swaying dangerously on the wire. He managed to regain his balance easily and when he opened his eyes again they were slightly more focused. He took a few casual steps towards Heiji, as if he was walking on solid ground, when he suddenly stopped with a pained gasp. He clenched his teeth as his whole body stiffened, curling significantly. Just as Heiji rushed towards the wire, to try and get to him, Kaito snapped his eyes open with a sharp and angered look in them. His grin turned into an annoyed one and he huffed. He spoke trying to bring cheerfulness to his voice.

"Sorry, seems I've gotta run. Don't look for me~"

Detective saw him drop a few marbles on the wire and in Heiji's direction. His vision was cut with smoke. When it cleared Kaito was gone.

"What the hell happened?" Shinichi demanded when him and Hakuba joined Hattori on the roof, where the Osakan rushed after he could see again.

"No idea... He seemed fine when he managed his stress level. He was on his way to me, when suddenly pain hit him. He got angry from it, said he has to leave and ran. Didn't hear him pass me but that doesn't surprise me anymore..." He sighed and took his cap from Conan, who brought it with him.

Hakuba frowned at it and asked "Sudden pain you say? Can adrenaline aftermath cause it?"

Hattori shrugged, tucking his hands in pockets, clearly finished with his inspection of the roof "Pain itself yeah, but not a sudden one. When it drops you just end up feeling again any pain you had before, or the damage you caused yourself during the rush. And about that… I did notice he didn't move either of his arms, even to regain his balance. And he did use his right to throw the smoke-bombs…" He added grimly.

Hakuba closed his eyes cursing in his mind and Conan eyed his friend asking "You think he tore his muscles during his escape."

"Can't say for sure. Depends on how he had them warmed up. I'd doubt it would be that serious, since his body is probably used to sudden movement. He probably only strained it and was just wary of it. Either way it doesn't explain this burst of pain… You know if he suffers from neuralgia or something like that?" Heiji asked turning towards the Brit.

Saguru shook his head, looking around carefully "I never noticed him curl in pain like that without a reason. He rarely does even having one, unless he wants to mess with Aoko that is. Maybe he got shot?"

Hattori threw him an annoyed stare "Oi, you think I'd miss something like that? I didn't see nor hear anything like it. Besides I don't think he would stay there a second longer to talk to me, if that was the case. It's just odd… Like…" He cut himself looking for a word to describe his thoughts.

"Like he received an order? Or was controlled?" Shinichi suggested and received a slow nod, he sighed "Well we did consider that for his last heists…"

"But we already ruled it out and found logical explanations for all his actions." Hakuba disagreed focusing his attention to the boy, unpleased with the speculation "And I doubt there would be any need to shoot at him, if that other party had another means to control him."

"Still there wasn't any signs of a shooter at the 'Moon's eye' heist and it is after that one he started acting odd, right? And having one reason doesn't necessary rule out another…" Hattori suggested with grim expression.

"This doesn't add up at all. There wasn't any time for anybody to intercept him back then. Right after heist he met up with you and was acting normal. Considering the time gap between when he left you and met with me he didn't stop anywhere. And how do you expect him being controlled with pain from afar? And in the end it isn't like he is being shot at every heist." Hakuba pointed out trying and failing to keep his cool.

"I think best we just drop this." Conan proposed rising his arms "It's not like we will find an answer with only assumptions and there's no point in arguing about it. I'm more concerned where he went…" He threw a look in Hattori's direction "Think he'd manage to get home?"

The Osakan shook his head "Doubt it. We're too far away. I don't believe he managed to get over the crash back there, so most probably he somehow re-triggered the rush. But if he did, he will collapse soon. No matter how good he is, his body does have limits…"

"Hopefully then he just went to the safe house he was leading us to…" The boy sighed tucking his hands in pockets.

"You really think we are close to one?" Hakuba asked with a slight shock.

"Aa… I'd say that wire is enough of an evidence that he's often in this area. I suspect it was prepared earlier, just for situation like this, when he needs to make a run for it." He threw a glance at his friend who just smiled confirming his assumptions that the line wasn't just a random one "I can be wrong here, of course and it's just a hunch after all, but it would make sense. He probably wanted to find himself in a safe place or check out some data. Seeing how he managed to ignore our presence is probably the best proof that, just like he said, he doesn't see us as a threat or a nuisance. But at the same time as KID he has to be wary of us. Probably Hatorri reaching to him triggered his muscle memory of that." Heiji just clucked at that and turned away his gaze, Conan showed him a small smile "Don't worry too much. None of us could have expected that. It is still wondering why in that state he took that gun away from the guy."

"He probably wanted to dispose of it. He didn't seem happy about the situation anyway…" Hakuba answered recalling his classmates expression while holding the weapon.

"Yeah… but still makes me wonder how often he did stuff like that while conscious. Anyway, now we at least know why he was so quiet at the first heist of the fatal series."

"You think he did it on auto-pilot? Heh… Kinda irks me to even think he might be able to pull it off, without even trying." Hattori stated with a sheepish laugh.

Shinichi responded with a dryly laugh "Well, probably he wasn't as deep in thought as today and had more control over his actions. But still he did show the same expression as back then. I think it's a good guess to think he might have noticed what was going on in the backstage just before the heist, so he had to think fast how to pull it though… And I'm pretty sure he was conscious again, before the end. It was just easier for him to keep up the act. On the following heists he probably just kept it up, since it helped him to hold the tense atmosphere this way."

* * *

They stayed there a little longer talking, before they decided that Kuroba won't be coming back. Not that they really hoped for it to begin with, but it never hurts to try. After that they returned to Hakuba's house so the two detectives could get their hair back to normal. They ate their lunch there and called up Ran and Kazuha. Saguru set up a meeting with Aoko and they all met at a cafe in Beika. The similar girls were thrilled to meet each other and they all managed to spend a nice afternoon together. Walking Aoko home Hakuba asked her to keep today's meeting a secret from Kaito so they could surprise him in the future. Needless to say the girl was more than happy to comply and was looking forward to pulling a prank on the prankster.

After he parted with her he went to check, if Kuroba managed to get home. Chikage was still chirpingly happy and didn't seem to be worried one bit about her son's absence. Knowing who she might be made the detective was more wary of her, so after questioning her they said their goodbyes and he left, figuring he should be able to meet Kuroba on the next day at school anyway. He only hoped that she lied to him and Kaito was actually safe at home.

* * *

Hakuba was worried when he saw Aoko enter the classroom alone. When he asked about it, she replied that Kuroba's mother told her not to worry about Kaito. The girl seemed to be used to Chikage's antics enough to not fret about her friend's absence. Hakuba pondered about the previous day, especially magician's escape. Was he safe? If Hattori was right and he went into a crash… Adrenaline rush can last only a few minutes. Depending on how strong it was and how long it lasted, the aftermath could be very hard on one's body. And it was possible that he damaged it during the stunt he absently made.

Buried in thought he nearly forgotten to unpack his books. When he heard the bell he snapped back to reality placing his backpack on the desk and opening it. He blinked a couple of times looking inside, not able to comprehend what he was seeing. There was a white chicken inside. A feathery and if the clucking was any proof to it, alive chicken. Most likely a hen. In his backpack, which he packed himself this very morning. Hakuba sighed heavily. At the very least that was a proof that Kuroba was fine and probably somewhere near. He gently took the bird out, finding that everything underneath it seemed fine enough.

It was when the teacher finished reading out the list of attendance when Togashi ran into the classroom, apologizing about him being late. All eyes turned to the person sitting in his seat, looking exactly like him. The newcomer blinked at his doppelganger who just started laughing with Kuroba's voice.

"Glad you're here~ I started getting worried and decided to help out a bit~" He grinned taking his mask off.

The teacher just sighed and noted Kaito's presence. Everybody took their seats, Aoko scolded Kaito for his antic and it seemed everything would be back to normal, with only a chicken clucking around Hakuba. It was when the detective stood up to read a text the teacher ordered him to when there was a chirp from his hair. Saguru froze at the sound and sighed reaching to his head. He grabbed a soft, little creature and once he looked at it, he confirmed it was a chick. Another one soon emerged from his desk and one from his pocket. The teacher only sighed allowing him to sit down and asking, without much hope, to keep it quiet. Hakuba exhaled slowly and turned his gaze to the innocent looking prankster.

"Kuroba… could you please take these birds away? All of them preferably…" He added wondering how many more chickens were hidden somewhere around him.

Kaito raised his eyebrows "Why do you think it's my doings? I don't even know where you can get chicks… It's not like I'm a **'mother hen'** …" He stressed the phrase with a slight smirk.

Hakuba gasped frozen. He sighed closing his eyes and mouth. He was going to kill Hattori the next chance he got.

He heard Aoko's annoyed whisper "Mouu... Kaito why can't you just give Hakuba-kun a rest? And why chickens anyway?"

Saguru looked at Kuroba with slight fear. He definitely didn't want a rumor like that to follow him. Kaito smirked at him fully aware of his distress before answering her.

"I don't get it why does it always end up with me being accused." He shrugged "I would understand, if there were doves involved... But chickens..? I don't know... Maybe they felt like they have something in common with our class detective, so they just came on their own..."

Aoko blinked and looked at Hakuba, before asking "Huh? What do you have in mind?"

"Ah... nothing much. But maybe… Just lately somebody has been clucking too much, around about stuff he shouldn't have..." He narrowed his eyes and grinned at Saguru, who just lowered his gaze, with a sigh.

Well he must have admitted that he expected worse. Then again the day hasn't ended yet. Nor the week… Hakuba rubbed his templates forcing himself to stay calm. He looked at a chick, which just gently pecked his hand. It was actually wondering how Kuroba managed to control all his birds he used for his tricks, so they didn't make a mess. Nonetheless it wasn't something Saguru wanted to think about too much.

Instead he decided to focus his attention to his classmate. And he noticed something alarming. For few last weeks Kuroba was writing in his notebook with his left hand, but now he wasn't writing at all. He was refraining himself from using either hand and if he had to, he preferred his right. Considering that just the other day, even unconsciously, he did all he could to protect that one, it must have meant that now his left was now in even worse shape.

When the bell rang announcing end of the lesson Kuroba stood up and took his leave from the classroom. Hakuba wondered, if it was a good idea to follow him, but he was curious what his classmate was up to. The moment he tried to leave from his desk his head as well as all the birds surrounding him got covered with a confetti blast. When it cleared the detective noticed that the chickens were gone. With a sigh he took out his mirror to check his hair. It was wondering how Kuroba managed the trick without being present, but now detective's hair seemed to be replaced with feathers. Yellow feathers to be exact. Hakuba was mainly surprised they weren't pink. He drove his fingers through his changed hair to notice it was some kind of feathered wig stuck to his head.

"That does suit you, you know~" The detective heard from behind him.

That was to be expected that Kuroba didn't leave actually. Hakuba turned around to place his gaze on the magician "Let me guess. The feathers will change their color to pink, if I'll try to remove the wig?"

Kuroba snorted unamused and rolled his eyes "You know. It's really boring how you don't react to what I do to you."

Hakuba simply chuckled "Well excuse me."

Kuroba just sighed and returned to his seat humming to himself, undoubly planning his next step. There was no point in trying to stop him, so Saguru had no intention to. At least the chickens were gone and it seemed the magician wasn't going to spread any rumors about him. Hakuba didn't doubt that he kept the record nonetheless.

* * *

When the school bell announced the lunch break Saguru approached Kaito and Aoko, who just stood up.

"Aoko-kun would you mind if I took Kuroba for a private conversation?" He asked towards the girl and caught a grimace from the magician.

"Uhm... sure go ahead. Just don't fight you guys..." She added with a moan and went to join Keiko.

When she left the magician shot him a deadpan expression "Who said I want to have a private conversation with you..?"

Hakuba simply sighed and turned his gaze towards his stubborn classmate "Because I am going to talk with you, about what happened yesterday and I do believe you'd rather that I didn't do it here."

Kaito just narrowed his eyes annoyed "Oh~? Want me to start talking..? I can always take out the photos too~…" He grinned mischievously.

The detective just sighed not willing to know what photos might his classmate have "Please Kuroba. I just want to confirm something…"

The magician only rolled his eyes at that and stood up. They went outside. Kaito was actually pleased being able to see their other schoolmates reactions to Hakuba's new hairstyle. He was only regretting that he wasn't able to do something more… A chicken costume would be a nice touch. But probably that would be going a bit overboard.

The Brit turned around to face him once they were alone behind school building "Is it true what Kudo-kun deduced? Did you meet with those who target you?"

The other teen clucked his tongue annoyed "We're not talking about this Hakuba. If you want to know more, ask KID and hope he'll answer. So if that is all -"

The detective cut in hastily "Alright then could tell me whyyou left in such a hurry? You seemed in pain..."

"Like I told the Osakan, I had something to do, that doesn't have anything to do with you -"

Hakuba cut in again changing the topic "And why did you take that gun? It clearly wasn't your first time do pickpocket something like that."

Kaito turned away his gaze not feeling comfortable with this conversation "I wanted to get rid of it and I did, alright? There is no need for someone to get shot, because someone else got a stupid idea."

"And what if it was an undercover policeman?" Hakuba suggested.

Kuroba gave him a strong look in return "It wasn't. I wouldn't take it, if I had any doubt about it."

"Is this what you do during your 'errands'?" He asked grimly.

The magician growled back at him "Is this how you think 'acting friendly' should look like? Sorry but I don't enjoy being interrogated and you should know it by now." He turned around and started walking back to the building "Find somebody else to play like this."

Hakuba wanted to stop him, but he only opened his mouth and closed it right after. He turned away his gaze. He clearly did go overboard with his words. He truly did believe his classmate had no ulterior motive and only wanted to do some good with his actions. Only that Saguru worried it might backfire on him bad, if he continued acting like that. He sighed and followed the magician fast, catching up with him before he managed to enter the school.

"I'm sorry Kuroba. I didn't mean to accuse you of anything. I do understand that you didn't mean to do wrong, with what you did. But I'm just worried that…"

"Then don't be. I can take care of myself just fine. And as long as I don't have to save anybody along the way, there is no danger for me. So if you want to help… Don't tag along where you shouldn't." He finished with rough voice and went back to class.

After school was over Kuroba disappeared from his sight. Asked about it Aoko told him that her friend needed to go to do his errands earlier today.

* * *

Hakuba was heading home when his phone rang, he checked the number before answering.

"Hello Kudo-kun, I didn't expect you to call. Do you need anything?"

_"_ _Well I was surprised when I read the paper, so I was wondering if you know anything about it?"_

"The paper?" Hakuba frowned "I'm afraid Kuroba kept me busy and I haven't had an opportunity to read it today. What have you found?"

Conan snorted sympathetically _"_ _Hope he didn't go too far with his revenge? Anyway there was a heist notice in the paper…"_

"What?!" Hakuba cut in with a shocked shout and stopped in his tracks "This has to be a fake one. He wasn't even using his left arm today, I'm sure he is in no state to hold a heist. But I doubt he will want to leave it, and let somebody use his name…" He cursed under his breath and started walking in Kurobas' household direction.

_"_ _It did look genuine and there was a letter of apology attached, explaining he was disgusted with what happened at his last event and promising he made sure that it wouldn't repeat this time again. I've been wondering… Maybe he somehow tricked us and his state isn't that bad?"_

"You've seen how he moved. Do you honestly suspect that he was acting? And that he acted his absent-minded state? Moreover I'm sure he wouldn't tell Aoko last week that he was injured, if he was able to conceal it." Saguru said doubtfully.

Shinichi sighed at that _"I don't know what to think honestly. Even Hattori was sure something was wrong with him. Damn… It can be that we spooked him too much and now he wants to make himself an alibi. Or something is going on again in the background…"_ He ended grimly.

"That's what I've been thinking. I'm headed to his home right now. Although I don't expect to meet him there. He said he's going on his 'errands' right after school." He sighed adding "I'm going to wait for him until he returns if I can't meet him now."

_"_ _I'd like that too. Could you maybe pick me up, when you confirm if h's home? I know it's a bit of a bother but…"_ The shrunken detective finished with a sigh not willing to finish his sentence.

Hakuba smiled sympathetically, understanding his predicament "Not a problem at all. I'll call you before I get to the agency."

_"_ _Thanks"_

* * *

It appeared that Kuroba wasn't at home, so the Brit left to pick up his fellow detective. Ran wasn't very pleased with the idea of Conan leaving for gods-only-know how long to prepare for the upcoming heist (which was the excuse they made for her). But eventually Saguru managed to convince her that the boy would be fine under his care. They didn't speak about the matter afterwards as it was very embarrassing for Kudo.

After a brief discussion they decided that waiting in Kuroba's house with Phantom Lady might not be the best idea, so they stayed in the car. Fortunately Hakuba had a travel version of chess, so it kept them busy during their wait. They were playing another game when they heard a knock on the window.

"Hakuba... I know you like to play homeless before my house for some reason. But don't pull children into it. You're giving him a bad example..." Although Kaito looked nothing but irritated and disappointed, he didn't even try to hide the amusement in his voice.

Conan flinched with annoyance at that and Saguru merely got out of the car "You're finally here. We wanted to talk to you."

The magician crooked his head "Oh~? Well too bad for you." He turned around and started walking towards his house "See you at school Yarouba. Don't keep the kid too long up at night."

"Oi! Stop right there you barou!" Shinichi shouted after him slamming the car door.

Kaito stopped briefly and shot him a glance accompanied with a smirk "Watch your mouth Chibi... Or somebody might want to wash it with a soap~"

"Just try it..." The boy challenged him with a growl.

"Who said I would be the one doing it~?" The magician's smirk grew to a grin.

Hakuba just sighed and placed a hand on Kaito's shoulder gaining his attention "Kuroba... Was it you who send the notice? You know you're in no shape for a heist..."

"I didn't send a notice, because... As I've already told you far too many times. I'm not KID. So no need to worry about my shape~" He turned around towards the detective shrugging off his hand.

Conan rolled his eyes "Come on, you practically admitted that you are just yesterday."

"Oh~? And when was that? You mean the monocle? I happen to have a full KID costume~. For cosplay, like probably most of his fans do. And even the whole year saw me in it when I won a ski-costume-competition~ I think I might be able to find some pictures from it, if you're interested. Too bad you weren't there Hakuba. But at least nobody made a fuss out of it~"

"And the information you so gladly shared with us?" Hakuba asked tightening his lips.

"Like I said, I'm a concerned fan, who happens to know for like, most of his life Nakamori-keibu. Is it very suspicious that from time to time I overhear this and that? And I am smart enough to put together some facts. It's not a skill restricted only for detectives you know..."

Shinichi closed his eyes and huffed "Do you want us to start pointing out all similarities and proves, here and now?"

Kaito sighed rolling his eyes "Why are you guys so stubborn? I'm not KID. Do I seriously look like a guy who would run around on top of buildings dressed up in a white suit?" Seeing deadpan looks both detectives shot him made him chuckle "Well... I'll take that as a complement"

Hakuba sighed tiredly "Kuroba, please. Just this once drop the act? I know you are not alright and I'm worried -"

The magician cut in showing an unamused smile "Now why would you be?"

The Brit sighed, tired of repeating himself "I have told you already. I want to be friends with you."

Kaito took a deep breath and looked at Saguru with serious expression "Alright, I'll drop the act for now. You're not my friend. You're only interested in me because you believe I'm KID." He chuckled without any joy "I fully understand your desire to befriend and awesome person like him and it is somewhat flattering that you think I'm him. But then again it is insulting that it seems to be the only reason why you are interested in me. Moreover I imagine even KID-sama himself would hesitate in befriending somebody who's sole interest in him lies in the fact he's a criminal. Especially if that person is a detective. It kinda reeks of a trap you know..." He added with a whisper.

Hakuba gasped pained to hear those words "But it's not like that... I -"

Addressed person cut in yet again with a mocking tone, this time allowing some anger slip out on his expression "Oh really? I asked you to stop questioning me about things that are not connected to me on Thursday. And on Saturday you arrange a meeting behind my back with two other detectives who you first shared with your delusions about me. So they could ask me those questions in your place. And even so you still try to interrogate me. Now tell me again how much you're not interested in me because you think I'm a thief?" He sighed letting his anger go, as he saw how both detectives looked away, feeling abashed "Look, I don't care about little stuff and you know that. I still had my fun. So don't think that I'm mad at you or anything. Maybe somewhat annoyed, but I'm already used to it. But don't expect me to believe in your words, when you openly try to set a trap on me. Simple as that. So if that's all I'm going to bed and best you do the same." He turned around to walk away, but Saguru placed his hand on his shoulder once again stopping him.

Kaito turned around seeing regret and determination in other teen's eyes. He sighed mentally, as he hated driving him to his limit like that. But he still believed it was for his own good. He showed in his gaze only anger and annoyance and spoke with matching voice "What?"

Hakuba clenched his teeth having trouble holding eye contact "Kuroba, it is true that my interest with you started because of KID. And it still does play a major role in it. Because this is what puts you in danger. Don't interrupt me please." He added strongly as Kaito tried to cut in and continued more softly "Let me first say what I want. Although I don't gather evidence, I do know that you are him. Just like Kudo-kun said last time, you do get sloppy sometimes. Last time you left quite a lot of your blood on a tree. And it is not a hair that might be simply misplaced and found somewhere by accident. And please don't try to make up a bloody explanation telling why you, yourself would find it reasonable to bleed on top branches." The magician smiled slightly amused probably finding a few excuses to that, the detective just sighed at that "Don't, just don't. Anyway I helped you clean it up and hid the material I used for it. But just to make sure it didn't belong to any of your pursuers I made some tests. I destroyed the results and the sample, after I read them, so there is no need for you to worry about it. But I do want you to know, that my accusations are not based only on 'belief', as you like to call it."

Saguru exhaled slowly and lowered his gaze "I know that what I have done this weekend was not right and you do have every right to feel betrayed by me. And I know that sometimes I am too persistent with my questions. But honestly you don't give me much choice Kuroba." He looked back at him "I really do want to be your friend, I've been trying to prove it for long time now. But I prefer you never forgive me, than to be able to only see you at your grave. You can't be expecting this whole mess to end with you constantly dodging bullets, until you decide to peacefully retire and just live a happy life, do you? And I want it to be possible for you. You do need help, so please stop being so stubborn. We carry no ill will against you. We won't hurt you, or try to make you pay for what you've done. So if you're planning this heist to make us believe you're not KID... There is no need for that. Don't push yourself anymore."

Kaito huffed looking perplexed. He shrugged of Saguru's hand and murmured "You're giving a goddamn speech at night on the middle of a street Hakuba. Come inside at least..." He added grimacing and started walking towards his house followed by both detectives.

Nobody answered Kuroba's greeting as they entered, but he didn't look surprised. Conan looked around suspicious. "Your mother left?"

Kaito just shrugged heading towards the kitchen "Not sure. I'll check later. You guys want something to drink?" He asked opening the refrigerator.

They both shook their heads, so he took out only one canned beverage and entered the living room where he sat himself on an armchair gesturing them to make themselves comfortable. He took a few sips from the can, probably trying to gain some time and they simply sat on the couch, not intending to rush him. Eventually he sighed.

"So what do you expect from me? I told you already that I don't want any help. And let me add that I have no intention to let you guys meddle with my affairs." He stated grimly not looking at any of them, allowing them to see how uncomfortable he was feeling.

Hakuba lowered his shoulders seeing how his classmate was acting, clearly feeling cornered. He sighed "Cancel the heist. At least until you're healed. There is no need for you to rush it…"

Kaito smirked at this "You have no idea what I'm doing, or why. Therefore you don't know what I need. But you don't have to worry. I'm fine enough. And it should be safe. I doubt anybody will be shooting at KID, unless the police will. The regulars rather don't want him dead and will just watch to make sure it's alright and those from last time made their point. They won't be crossing their paths with him, until once side is irked again." He took another sip.

Conan frowned at that and Hakuba asked feeling perplexed "What do you mean by that? The guys from last time got arrested..."

Kuroba just smirked again but said nothing. They were looking at him expectantly, but it seemed he decided to ignore it. Eventually Conan broke the silence "Care to elaborate?"

"No." He sighed noticing that the can was empty, so he simply placed it on the floor and stretched, clearly not willing to say anything more.

Shinichi saw Hakuba tighten his lips and frown. He placed his hand on Brit's arm to remind him that they agreed to not push the thief, if they got to talk to him like that. Saguru calmed down letting out a sight. The boy turned his attention to their host, who he knew was reading them like a book right now. He smirked recalling Hattori's advice.

"So you're saying that despite you could barely move your hand and had to be wary of your leg yesterday, heist at the end of the week is not a problem?" There wasn't any doubt in Conan's voice, it sounded just like a confirming question. Kaito raised his eyebrow slightly, showing interest and settled with a small nod. "Alright. What do you expect us to do?" KID was a guy who could take care of himself and it was clear that he had a plan, so most probably there was no point in worrying about him.

Kuroba smiled wondering where was this leading "I don't have any expectations of you. Feel free to join the merry chase, if you wish to. As long as you don't plan to dig where you're not supposed to you won't hear me complaining."

"No need to take it easy on KID?"

Kaito didn't stop his grin from showing "I doubt there would be any point, if you did."

"Alright hope I won't see you whining, if we kick his behind" Conan smiled ominously, amusing the watching thief "I just hope we'll be able to talk like this again."

"Hum~… Depends on what you mean~" the magician hummed amused.

The boy just smirked, pleased to see that Kuroba managed to relax and got off the couch "It's getting late, so we better get going. See you at Friday."

"See ya Chibi…" He responded, but held back a chuckle seeing how it still irked the boy "But don't think you're off the hook Yarouba… I'm still going to prank you for the whole week." Kaito smirked at his classmate, who just sighed in response.

"It didn't even cross my mind to think otherwise. See you tomorrow."

Kuroba let them out and hummed to himself, wondering how it was going to develop. He shouldn't be happy with the outcome, but then again it wasn't all that bad either. He only had to figure out how to keep them occupied. And this was bound to be so hard, he could laugh. Kaito went up the stairs to thank his mother for staying in her room and not interfering with their conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that concludes this chapter. No cliffy this time! How is it possible? xD
> 
> And yes – next chapter we will get a heist again :D I hope you guys are looking forward to it, just as much as I do ;)
> 
> See you next chapter *bow* ;)


	15. Smoke and mirrors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own MK or DC, or any other manga/anime to be exact. I just like to let my imagination run loose :D
> 
> Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story.
> 
> I bring you the promised heist, because as we all know KID doesn't go back on his word.
> 
> It's so nice to be able finally to just sit down and write x) Even thinking of the tricks for the event weren't so hard this time (you have no idea how hard it is usually for me XD).
> 
> So without further delay…
> 
> Please enjoy and review! :)

Hakuba was glad Kudo went with him, but on the other hand he couldn't help to be somewhat envious of him. He didn't have the chance to notice it before, but it seemed that the shrunken detective had some kind of deeper understanding for Kuroba. And the magician seemed to genuinely like him. Just like that without any effort. But maybe that was the problem? Saguru was simply trying too hard and that made Kuroba so wary of him?

Kaito kept his word, much to Aoko's annoyance and Hakuba's resignation, and he pranked the Brit for the whole week. After the 'chicken day', Saguru got stuck to anything he sat on or leaned against in school. The main problem was that this day they had P.E., so he couldn't simply stay in class for the whole day. On the next day Kuroba strapped high heels to his shoes, somehow during the lesson, of course without moving from his bloody desk. The problem was that he somehow glued the shoes to his feet. Hakuba had to admit it was hellish hard to walk in those and after that day he could only admire women who wore them on daily basis. Then he reminded himself that KID often did disguise himself as a woman and he could even do his acrobatics in them. That was disturbing, but even more admirable.

Thursday was nerve wracking at first, since nothing seemed to be happening. Kuroba acted very sleepy that day and Hakuba wondered if it wasn't because of his preparations for the heist. He figured that the magician had to do some extra work, since he wasn't able to move as freely as usual. He surely wouldn't want anybody to notice KID's weakness. Still, it was disturbing that nothing was happening. That is until he got a call from Baaya, who informed him that the car was broken, so she wouldn't be able to come for him. He knew that was the start. As he walked through the streets, a cat tagged along and was stubborn to stay with the detective, trying hard to get under his clothes. When he was struggling with the animal, more of them came. Hakuba had no idea how many cats lived in the neighborhood until that day. The felines that grabbed him with their claws tried fighting each other, apparently for a better spot. By the time he got home, he was very tired and wanted nothing more than to take a bath and sleep. For the whole night he heard those damn creatures mewling under his window.

Hakuba actually feared coming to school at Friday, worried that if he would, he wouldn't have any energy for the heist. But then again it wouldn't be good for him, if Kuroba wanting to hold his promise would end up pranking him during the event. It was hard for him not to want to strangle the magician, but he knew that showing a strong reaction to his antics would only encourage Kaito in the future. So with a heavy heart he did go to school that day. It wasn't that bad. When the lesson started, a cat fell from above on his desk, causing Hakuba to pull away as fast as he could. But the feline simply ignored him and just exited the classroom. After that the detective encountered chicken feathers in everything he opened (remembering the prank Togashi went through, Hakuba decided to NOT go to the bathroom that day at school, for the sake of his sanity). But besides that and random meows or chicken clucks nothing happened. After school Kuroba just grinned at him and told him, he got it easy, because he didn't want the detective to be too tired before the heist. Hakuba understood that it was a way to warn him that it would get worse, if he didn't attend the event that night.

* * *

The three detectives met half an hour before the heist. It was alarming for them to see the KID Task Force armed with sharp ammunition. On the bright side it seemed that the officers were feeling awkward with it too and from what the boys heard, they didn't intend to use the guns, unless they had no other choice. They could only hope KID wouldn't make any stupid move to provoke anybody. Nobody knew how the thief would steal his prize, a sapphire called the 'Deep's Hope', since he didn't send a riddle this time. The only thing they knew is that he wouldn't be using any fireworks or other explosives, as he promised so in the apology letter.

It was five minutes before the heist when they heard jingling bells approaching from along the streets headed towards the museum that held the target. They rang a lively melody and gathered people started clapping their hands with the rhythm. There weren't as many fans as usual, but those who came clearly had high hopes for their idol. And by the looks of it, he wasn't going to disappoint them. When the sources of sound were drawing near, a strong wind started blowing, suddenly filling the air with white flakes. It appeared they were flower petals. When there was no time left the flowers formed a whirlwind, covering a statue in the middle of a plaza before the museum.

"Ladies and gentleman!" KID's roar sang from the middle as the petals started falling down "I welcome you to tonight's heist and hope you'll enjoy the show I've prepared!" He bowed gracefully to his fans, ignoring the displeased shouts of his anti fans.

Some officers shouted at him, but he just laughed and started swirling. Flowers started falling from his cape, obstructing the view. When those cleared enough, the thief was gone.

Cheerful laughter filled the room holding the sapphire. The prize itself was protected by a vast net of laser beams, that would cut anything they would hit. The officers gathered around the field, to prevent the thief from destroying the beam sources. Flower petals started flowing from inside the ventilations shafts. When they closed them they noticed KID was standing in the middle of a group of startled officers. He laughed again and snapped his fingers, causing flowers to bloom out of their weapon barrels and flower wreaths to fall on his critics' and Nakamori-keibu's heads. The policemen tried to tackle him, but he just danced between them, swirling around or jumping into the air, always within reach, but still untouchable, until he jumped into the dangerous laser field. He smirked from above his shoulder, tipping his hat, and started crossing it, slightly bowing here and there, although the beams weren't visible. He turned to his onlookers once he reached his prize.

"It's always a pleasure to meet with you Nakamori-keibu and you, my most faithful Task Force. I apologize it took me so long to return. I do know you always worry for me, when I'm gone for too long."

Nakamori roared angrily at the thief "KID, you bastard! You're going to explain everything you've done!"

"Oh~? I'm afraid I cannot do that. I am a magician after all~"

There was a buzzing sound and a cage emerged from the floor, locking the thief inside. KID just stood there without moving an inch, holding the brim of his hat, still smiling pleased. The keibu and some of the officers started laughing, happy to see that the trap worked.

"We have finally caught you, you damn thief! I'm going to unmask you now!"

KID hummed concerning his words "Well, I do see a minor problem here. You would have to approach me to do that and it seems those bars would stand in your way~"

To the detectives it didn't look like he had any way out. They knew well that the floor as well as the ceiling had solid iron plates there and were checked right before the event, so it was impossible for him to have prepared an escape. Despite that he didn't look even one bit worried. Was it a mere bluff? Or was he so sure that nobody could approach him without letting him out? KID took his time, admiring casually the sapphire he stole, before it disappeared in his hands.

Nakamori-keibu chuckled at his words "That's only what you think, cocky thief." He clicked a button and the bars started moving, closing in on KID, who just hummed, impressed.

When the cage was getting tight, a crocodile grin split his face and he started swirling again, causing flowers to fall from his cape. The detectives weren't going to wait for his disappearance and made their moves, running towards the most probable escape roads he could take, each picking a different one. He most probably would want to appear again to his fans, when he ran away, so he had to escape either through the roof or a high window. They heard angered yells from their radios, indicating that KID did manage to slip from the trap. It was Hakuba who managed to stumble on his way on the heavily panting thief. KID stopped to catch his breath and grinned at him happily.

"Tantei-san~! I'm so glad to see that you finally managed to join my event~ I really did miss your presence."

"KID! You're… What the..?" Saguru stumbled, feeling his body was getting heavy.

They were in a room over the one which held the sapphire. The officers who were guarding it were now sleeping and Hakuba had to shake his head, feeling slightly dizzy. The thief hummed happily and opened a window. Spotlights hit him the moment he did it. He slightly turned his head slightly to see his critic out of the corner of his eye.

"I'm afraid there is no time for us to talk right now. I do advise you to take a few breaths of fresh air, unless you want to take a nap. See you next time." And without waiting for an answer he jumped out of the window, opening his glider.

The detective somehow managed to reach the window and stay awake. He spoke through the radio informing others about the thief's escape. The strange thing was that KID didn't wear a gas-mask.

* * *

After the heist the atmosphere in the building was lighter than before. The officers were quietly chatting with each other with excited voices, while gathering evidence. Even Nakamori seemed less grumpy than usually and had trouble hiding his smile. Everybody seemed to be relieved that "their" KID was back.

It was only after the heist that the detectives were informed that during the events inside, KID's doves were flying outside, painting with colorful smoke wonderful images in the sky.

They were wondering how he managed to move so freely evading the officers, especially having his body still injured. It was mindblowing and they couldn't wait to see the video record, since he probably used some kind of trick to it. They discovered that the moving bars formed an opening wide enough for a slim teenager to slip through, but it lasted only for a brief fracture of second, after which they would crush him. He most probably entered and left the room through a loose plate in the ceiling connecting the two rooms, next to a ventilation shaft. So he most probably put to sleep the guards long before his escape. That's why there wasn't much of sleeping gas left, when he and Saguru entered it again. They concluded that he was most likely somewhat resistant to his own mixture and didn't need any protection from such a low dosage.

As there wasn't anything more they could find out from the building they left it, eager to see the tapes on the next day. On the street they laughed, deducing that he most likely he allowed Nakamori-keibu to catch him briefly, just to make the man happy for a moment. It was both nice of him and cruel. They were going to part when a girl leaned at them warping her arms around Hakuba and Hattori. She chirped happily at them.

"Hiyah~!"

She was wearing a short, sleeveless shirt with an _'Keep calm and love Kaitou KID'_ lettering on it, a disturbingly short skirt and extremely high heels. Her brownish hair was tied up in pigtails. Conan jumped away from her startled with her entry and shocked with her looks. Hattori also jerked away, but reached his hands towards her to stabilize her, in case she would lose balance from his move. Hakuba just froze, more used to staying still in case suddenly hit with Kuroba's prank.

"Who're you?!" Hattori yelped full of suspicions.

"KI -" Conan started, but was cut out by the hushing girl, who placed a finger on his lips.

"Hush you~! I'll have to run, if you call me that, now won't I~?" She chirped smiling with KID's crocodile grin.

"Kuroba, you…" Hakuba started, grabbing strongly girl's arm before he remembered his classmate was hurt and let her go.

"Kuroba?" the girl shook her head slowly and started patting her lips with a finger "Oh... You mean Kuroba Kaito? I've heard he's a rather promising magician? I do hope I'll have the chance to see him perform one day. I've also heard he is my fan?" She chuckled and shook her head "Fascinating how people seem to admire a criminal, don't you think?"

Conan felt his eyebrow twitch "Kuroba... enough with the act now. We already talked about it."

KID sighed heavily "I cannot stop you from believing in what you desire. Nonetheless it is not important at the moment. If you need a name for this conversation, we can settle with 'Hana-chan'." She offered with a wink at Hattori.

She let Hakuba go and placed her hands on her hips. They noticed there were no bandages, band-aids or suspicious bulges on her limbs.

The Brit eyed her carefully and spoke with a suspicious voice "Alright 'Hana', more importantly how are your injuries..? I must admit you hid them quite well."

"Injuries?" Amusement rang in her voice again and she smiled softly "My dear Tantei-san... How many times do I have to remind you that you cannot hurt a phantom? But it is heartwarming to know you were worried. As you can see, I'm quite well and unharmed." She spread her arms and turned around.

Hattori narrowed his eyes suspiciously "Oi… show me your hand…"

The thief gasped, placing her hands on her chest "Are you asking me for my hand?"

He gave her a flat look "I said so, didn't I?"

The girl started waving her hands at herself and started chirping excited "Oh my gosh~! You're asking me to get married~! This is the best day in my life~! I never suspected~! I love you too~!"

The other two stared at the person before them with shock, not sure how to react and Hattori blushed staring with horror "The hell you're talking about?! Don't even start with me like that!" He yelled at her, roughly taking her hand.

Conan burst into wild laughter and Hakuba just covered his face embarrassed, by the site before his eyes, wishing he could bleach his brain.

"Kyaa! Tantei-han~ you're such a brute~!" She squealed and started giggling as the blushing detective drove a finger through her forearm, confirming the bone structure and trying hard to focus on it.

"Stop this already!" He growled as his blush deepened, trying hard to remember he had before him just a cross-dressing guy, who wanted to mess with him "And I already told you to use our names, if we're to use yours…" He mumbled.

"Always glad to do that Hei-chan~!"

"The hell is wrong with you?!" He shouted letting her hand go, unable to find any signs of disguise or former bone damage. He noticed only fine muscle build and strong tendons under the skin. He was fairly sure that despite her hands were slim, they were not slimmer than Kuroba's.

"How did you hide it?" Hakuba asked in awe, staring at her from head to toes, noticing that Hattori didn't seem to find any abnormalities.

"Aww~ Ru-chan… you want to play doctor with me~?" She teased, moving slightly away shyly.

Conan chuckled seeing his fellow detectives defeated by thief's act, trying not to watch too much the overexposed body "You are Kuroba Chikage, right? The late Phantom Lady. You did this heist now for your son, much like you did ten years before after death of your husband?" He stated more than asked with a complacence smirk.

The two teens blinked at him and then moved their gazes at her, making the connections. KID just sighed tiredly "Co-chan, I'd love you refrain yourself from making such false accusations. As I have no intention of reviling my identity, I can assure you that I am not late Toichi's wife." She said waving her finger at him.

Shinichi frowned, noticing how the thief denied being Chikage, but not about being Kaito. Hattori growled, annoyed, leaving the puzzle aside "You didn't come here just to tease us. And you said, you're a busy person. So make your point already."

"No, you're right, that was just a bonus~ I wanted to greet you, since I'm very happy to see all my beloved critics, working together~ It's heartwarming for me." She bowed slightly, grinning cheerfully.

"You're acting out of character again. Aren't you expected to be a gentleman?" Hakuba scold him holding back his annoyance.

"Ah, always the critic~ Yet you must understand, my dear, that the act is fully dependant on the face." She spoke in a more gallant manner and bowed gracefully. After this she straightened and sighed "But just as much, as Hei-chan said… I am a busy person and should leave now… Although I wouldn't mind to have a milkshake with my favorite detectives~" She added with a sly smile.

"You can drea -" Hattori growled again, preparing an insult when Conan cut in hastily.

"Alright." He tucked his hands in his pockets, watching the girl with a smirk "Kuroba doesn't talk about KID's business and KID won't talk about Kuroba's. If we want any information, this is our chance. And his attempt for us to draw a mental line separating the two. A psychological trick, you might say." He grinned satisfied, explaining the trick to his fellow detectives "We can either play along and receive some information out of it, or we can struggle with the magician, who will do his best to dodge and twist our questions."

"I have no idea what you're talking about~" The thief grinned widely in return, confirming with it Conan's deduction, despite his own words

"Ok, we can play along." Hattori grumbled and they all directed their steps to the nearest, still open café "But if we're to treat you separately, then you've got a hell 'a lot explaining to do, about all you've done."

She blinked at him with surprise "Whatever do you mean, Hei-chan?"

"I told you not to push it… And you know damn well what I mean!" He started deflecting his fingers as he reckoned "You broke the trains between Tokyo and Osaka to prevent me from coming and you threw Kudo down the staircase nearly giving me a heart attack! And you ignored the jewel our gallery prepared for you, although you promised to come." He huffed crossing his arms.

The girl chuckled, amused with his accusations "I did not break any trains. I just noticed a defect at the railway and was concerned about possible future accident. So I just did a little thing here and there to point it out. You can't be mad at me for caring, now can you?" She winked at him "As for the throw thing… Well I do believe everybody should be able to enjoy a little freefall every now and then. I certainly do love it myself. And by the way, you were the one to give me a heart attack, you know. It is very dangerous to jump out like that and then roll on the stairs. What would I ever do, if you broke your neck~? As for the jewel… Sorry, but I'm not interested in fakes…" She sighed shrugging her arms.

"Fake? You didn't even see it… -" Hakuba frowned hearing the opinion, but was cut out by Conan, who grumbled annoyed.

"I didn't enjoy the freefall… I was too preoccupied with the thought I was going to die…" A vein plopped from his forehead "And that reminds me that I owe you a soccer-ball-in-the-face session for making me believe Ran was dying, you bastard!"

"Scary…" The girl trembled and hid behind Hakuba "Always the cruel one, huh? Well it's hardly my fault that you don't want to listen." She sighed "I did try the easy way and the hard way. So all that was left was the tricky way and that one worked as a charm~" She giggled and Conan reached to his shoe to power it up.

Hattori grabbed his hand before he managed that "Oi, oi, give it a rest for now, alright? You said it yourself we want to get some answers and we won't, if h… she will be unconscious or gone." The thief grinned happily and the Osakan turned to him "Better say what you meant, by saying it was a fake."

They entered the café and she remained silent until they took their seats "Well it's simple. The real 'Crimson revenge' has been shattered in year 1985, during a quarrel between two earls. One of them wanted to give it as a present to a woman they both were trying to impress."

Hakuba frowned "Couldn't it be just a name coincidence?"

"I doubt it, as the rest of its story, presented by the gallery matched. If it was truly an attempt to lure me, I find it insulting." She smirked and called a waitress.

They made their order and continued the conversation once they were left alone again.

"I have a few questions for you and hope for a sincere answer. Is there somebody trying to gain control over you?" Hakuba asked carefully observing the girl, sitting in front of him.

She just smirked and rolled her eyes "Not bragging about it, but given the fact how capable I am… Do you even need to ask? I do get a lot of offers and 'offers I shouldn't be able to resist'." She grinned predatorily.

"But is there somebody who is controlling you?" Heiji added warningly.

KID sighed and pondered over it for a moment "I wouldn't say that there is. Surely not in an open matter."

"But you suspect somebody might be pulling your strings." Conan stated grimly.

There was a flash of annoyance in her eyes, but she chuckled "Well knowing how to pull strings, would make me naïve to believe others are not trying it with me. But even if they are, they don't achieve much with me."

Hakuba swallowed hard, wondering if she would answer his next question "Kudo-kun deduced that at some point you met people who are targeting you. Could you… confirm that and tell us what they wanted from you?"

She sighed again "Let me state this clear. I want to have fun with you at my cheerful events. I don't want you digging around in the background. So I ask of you to leave this."

Hakuba wanted to say something, but once again Conan stopped him, by placing his hand on the Brit's and shaking his head.

"Could you then clear something else for us? We made some arrests after your last heist, but it seems we didn't manage to get to the head. You know who assaulted you back then, but you let them get away with it. Why?" Shinichi asked, watching carefully the thief's expression.

She smirked at them "Of course I know. How could I not? And what would you want me to do with them? I am of course grateful that you made them sacrifice some fat scapegoats." She smiled with slight amusement, but continued more seriously right away "Have you seen the blast? Now imagine what would have happened, if the bomb was detonated in the crowd, or at least inside the building." She waited for a moment and continued when detectives expressions showed the horror of realization "It is hardly a secret that I cherish my fans. Do you think it would be wise for me to start a war?"

"And what makes you believe then that they will leave you now and not try to kill you again?" Hakuba asked grimly.

"You understand so little about the shadows…" She shook her head and thanked cheerfully to the waitress who brought their orders "This is why I don't want you doggies to enter the scary forest." She sighed and explained "They made their point and showed what will happen to anybody who will try and cross their path. I on the other hand showed that I don't care about their efforts. And I placed a few hooks deep in their guts and pulled them strong enough, so they know I can tear off their head, if they'll anger me." Her tone carried some dreadful tones that made the detectives feel a cold shiver down their spines, until she smiled cheerfully "And then I backed out, to show that it is not what I wish for."

"Why?" Conan demanded and she sighed again.

"A bear like that doesn't die instantly, its paws would still cause some damage, before it would fall. And there are also other bears in the forest, who would start seeing me as a target. With what I've done now, they will prefer not to anger me and watch their moves while on my territory." She slurped happily from her milkshake and grinned "And in the end I'm a criminal and not a lawful citizen~ So it is not my goal to put people behind bars~ But you boys should stay away from the big, bad forest~ It's dangerous in there~ You should focus on catching the scary murders~"

"Come on, you're the same as us." Hattori stressed "You can't expect us to leave you to deal with this alone. We can help you, if you let us…"

There was some sadness in her eyes as she was staring at her drink "I'm not the same as you any longer. The shadows stain you, when you linger for too long between them. That's why you should enjoy the images in the mirrors I show to you And at the very least not cross the line, if you decide to break them. I do not wish for you to sacrifice your futures."

She slurped on her drink as they silently processed what she told them.

"Why did you decide to tell us all this?" Hakuba asked quietly.

She smirked "Because you boys are so nosy. And for some reason, it seems you decided to dedicate yourselves to figure out and help a criminal. I was afraid you might pull too much attention to yourselves before you manage to discover enough to finally back out."

Hattori huffed and smirked at the girl next to him "Screw this. We're not backing out, no matter what you say. And you can't make us, so don't even try."

She rolled her eyes and snorted "But of course I can make you, but I didn't come here to make threats. If it makes you understand better, I can say that I don't want your help and I will not take it."

Hakuba locked his eyes with the thief's and said with a soft voice "You don't have to be alone with this." He saw her gaze stiffen for a brief moment, as she forced herself not to let any emotion that those words caused show on her face.

Seeing his reaction, Shinichi continued softly "I know you are able to, but don't try to push us away. You don't have to worry to let us understand what you're fighting for, and what you do to make it possible. We won't be disgusted or scared of you."

She rolled her eyes, breaking the contact and chuckling "What are you talking about? You clearly didn't listen to me. And you even have no idea what my goal is. Don't go offering your help, before you know it." She smirked amused.

"Then tell us." Conan proposed, knowing she won't answer.

"Figure it out yourself, detective. I won't spoil the fun for you~" She smirked and added with an annoyed grimace "And by the way, please do treat our encounters seriously. It's no fun, if you only watch. I'm disappointed with your today's performance… Or is it that you want me to motivate you next time~?"

Hattori chuckled. "No need for that. Next time we'll kick your behind, count on it. We took it easy for you today in case you were injured."

"Aww~! You care so much~!" She embraced him tightly "I just knew it~!"

"Oi, oi! Don't do that! Personal space, bastard!" Heiji tried to squirm away, not daring to touch her overexposed body, settling with grabbing her hands in an attempt to disentangle them from himself.

"No need to be shy, Hei-chan~! I love you guys too~"

They all laughed, as Shinichi was wondering how much the thief knew about his situation with the Organization. He was now fairly sure KID knew a lot about them, but he wasn't going to ask her now. He was sure that the thief would turn herself into a hindrance to keep them away from the Organization, in an attempt to keep them safe, if she knew how much they wanted to get in their way. Even if it meant endangering herself. And KID already did show that she can keep them away, if she gets serious. To prevent that they probably had to first get close enough to her and so she would allow them to prove themselves by solving her puzzle. And it wasn't less important. Shinichi smiled softly realizing he really wanted to set the thief free from his demons. Both mental and those targeting him in reality.

Kudo wondered what the thief was forced to do, to make her say that 'shadows stained her'. It was more obvious now than ever, that she didn't like what she was forced to do, but despite that was determined enough to not give up on the goal.

He chuckled at his thoughts, noticing that KID's trick worked somehow and he was already referring to the thief as a 'she'. But seriously though… He focused his gaze on the girl leaning on the bench in Hattori's direction who was standing, shouting at her, with his face all red. This disguise was disturbingly convincing. Although knowledge that underneath was a guy, so similar to his teenage self was more disturbing. And devastating for him.

Hakuba raised his eyebrow seeing Conan slammed his face into the table before him. He could see the boy's ears were red and Saguru wasn't sure, if he wanted to know what caused Kudo to act like that.

They had a few more laughs and as they were going to leave the café, the thief smirked and there was a puff of smoke. When it cleared KID was gone, leaving only a note and the sapphire behind.

 _*Thank you for the treat and fun~_  
_But seriously…_  
 _Please keep in mind what I've asked you._  
 _Or I'll have to get serious too.*_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seems the boys learned more than KID wanted them to x) But oh well… that's what you get when you start talking to them.
> 
> I sincerely hope you liked the heist~
> 
> See you next chapter *bow* ;)


	16. Forming a leash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own MK or DC, or any other manga/anime to be exact. I just like to let my imagination run loose :D
> 
> Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story.
> 
> This chapter I'll present you more of our persistent detectives poking the fox x)
> 
> It just occurred to me, that lately I've been neglecting Kaito's inner thoughts for quite a while, now haven't I? So this time, I've decided to redeem myself a bit.
> 
> So without further delay…
> 
> Please enjoy and review! :)

It was late when KID left them and detectives parted soon also, deciding to talk about this encounter in the morning. Hakuba managed to pass a request for a copy of the heist video to his father and was hoping to receive it in the afternoon. As they agreed he drove for his fellow detectives precisely at 9 AM to pick them up. The girls weren't happy with this and Ran pointed out that Hattori should let Conan spend some more time with friends of his age, but they somehow managed to slip out anyway. They knew it would cause a problem for Shinichi to continue meeting like this in the future and he wasn't looking forward to lying more to the girl. It didn't take them long to get to the main topic and Hakuba asked to confirm his assumptions.

"So you're sure his arm was fine?"

"Yeah. I mean... It's not like you always have skin injury with a cracked bone. So lack of scar wasn't really surprising and advanced healing process can make the swelling go away." The Brit nod at this as it was confirming his own medical knowledge as Hattori continued "I'm also no doctor and it might be impossible to feel a healing crack on the bone, but considering I've used some pressure checking it and then we did buffet with each other some, I'd say it's healed completely."

Saguru frowned not convinced "But he wasn't last week..."

"Can't say that for sure." Heiji pointed out "I'd say you can be positive only about his leg injury was there, but as for his hand..." He shrugged "He could have been overprotective simply and you don't know how easily he falls into habits. His unconscious reactions can stay active for a long time after a serious injury."

"And what about his leg?"

"What about it? If you wanted to check it out then it didn't look like he was going to stop you. Didn't notice any hidden dressing but it doesn't mean anything when it comes to him. But he was wearing high heels so I'd doubt he was in pain. None of his movements indicated any pain or wariness either..." He added with a frown.

"And this doesn't add up..." Conan concluded.

"Yeah..." The Osakan agreed with a grimace.

"Think he could have used some pain killers?" The blonde proposed with doubt.

Hattori rolled his eyes "Did he look like under any drug influence to you?"

Hakuba just sighed in response.

Conan sighed and decided to drop the subject "Well it doesn't look like we can figure it out now and it's not that important, so let's assume for now that he's healed." The Brit didn't look too happy about it, since the problem certainly did bug him, but despite that he gave a nod "I'm a bit more worried with what he said. I'm pretty sure he told us some of what he's doing in the background not to boast, but to scare us. Seems he's getting jumpy. It didn't look he was happy with us for reading between the lines. I'm afraid he might want to distance himself from us now."

"Yeah well, it's not gonna help him. Like I said, I don't intend to back out." Heiji retorted with a grin.

Shinichi rolled his eyes "Not gonna help us, if he decides to avoid us for serious. We've still got a month, but summer break is drawing near. He could plan a world tour to play the 'international' part of KID's reputation."

The Osakan shrugged at that "Well in worst case scenario then we'll see him afterwards. What's the big deal?"

Conan sighed and his expression looked worried "He doesn't have a loner's nature. That much is obvious. But he can try to force a new habit on himself during the break and if we let himit will be harder to approach him after. If during the summer he'll focus on interacting with violent police and detectives, he'll develop a wariness and won't be carefree around us anymore. As for now he enjoys spending his time with us. If we want to use it we have to bond before he changes that. Best would be to spend together as much time as we can manage, preferably out of Tokyo, so he won't have his 'errands', or the possible tour to run off to. I do think he could use some time away from the 'shadows' anyway"

"So you mean that the four of us should go on a trip..?" Hakuba summed up and looked at Hattori.

"Well… that would be the easiest way…" Shinichi agreed slowly looking at both teens, who grimaced, clearly not looking forward to this, but it didn't last long.

The Brit sighed "Well guess it would be better for me, if he has more targets for his pranks... I wouldn't be hoping he'll let us off if we decide to force him."

Heiji laughed at this "Yeah and I do prefer to have you in case he uses his dyes again. I'm not that good with chemistry. And as long as you tone down being so rigid I can deal with you."

Hakuba snorted at that "Well as long as you stop being so rapid, I guess I could try to be more easy going."

They started teasing each other about their traits, but as it wasn't turning into anything fierce Shinichi decided to let them be. He focused himself more about an excuse to make Kaito spend some time with them before they'll even try to invite him, if he decided to try and avoid them now.

* * *

This was getting troublesome. His detectives were really starting to get under his skin. Yesterday Hakuba was this close to breaking his Poker Face, again. He was getting too good with that. And then Shinichi gave him another precise blow... Kaito bit his lip hard enough to provoke pain. He wanted nothing more than to share his burden with somebody and he was sure those guys could understand. There even was a slight chance they could even accept the truth. And he needed it so bad... More so they could help him understand what was really going on. But the thing is they wouldn't let it go if they knew. And Kaito did not want to sacrifice them. He couldn't.

Fortunately summer break was drawing near. He would be able to distance himself from them, reforge his Poker Face and burry the remorse. Then only a few more months of school to endure. He closed his eyes and focused on controlling his breath.

He was sitting in the hidden room, trying to sort out his thoughts and get a grip over himself when he heard the doorbell. He cursed out loud, picking up some things he prepared.

* * *

The detectives were surprised to see Chikage open the door for them. She on the other hand looked happy to see them.

"Oh hello boys~ Good timing~ You came to see my Kai-chan, right~?"

"Erm… yes that would be it. Has something happened?" Hakuba still found himself taken aback by this woman's pattern of speech.

"Oh nothing much~ Come in please~" She opened the doors wider and stepped back to let them inside "He's just a bit grumpy about something and I hoped you could cheer him up~"

"Mom… I'm busy and I don't want any guests… Don't just go and let them in like that…" The magician grumbled walking down the stairs, holding his hands in his pockets. He threw an annoyed look at the detectives. He was wearing a long sleeved shirt and long, loose pants.

"No you're not busy at all~ You said it yourself, that you still have two hours before you need to leave~ You should spend more time with your friends instead that cave of yours~" She grinned at him waving off the matter.

"Mom..!" He whined disbelieving what she just said.

She chuckled and beamed to their guests "You boys go and make yourself comfortable in the living room and take this grumpy boy to entertain you~ I'll go and prepare some snacks and something to drink for you~" Afterwards she turned away and went to the kitchen.

"Would it kill you to listen to me once in a while?" Kaito grumbled after her and pulled out his right hand pointing a finger at the startled guests "Leave." He demanded and turned to his mother, to probably complain some more.

Heiji laughed at the view and pulled out a hand to grab Kaito "Oh come on, that's no way to greet your guests since we came here specially for you~" He managed to clench his fingers on the magician's forearm, stopping him from following the woman. He felt there was something hidden under the sleeve, but before he could react the other teen turned back to him and hissed.

"Ugh! Let go!" The hints of pain hidden under anger on his face were visible enough for all of his detectives to recognize and to shock them.

Hattori frowned and replaced his grip on the magician's hand. He pulled up his sleeve. Before Kaito could cover it with his other hand they noticed that his forearm was covered with a bandage, holding a splint.

"What the hell's wrong with you?!" He pulled back once the Osakan let him go with shock on his face.

"Kai-chan? Are you alright?" Chikage looked worried from kitchen entrance.

"Tsk… fine." He mumbled back at her and threw his detectives a wary look "What do you guys want anyway?" He asked with resentful tone, tucking his hands back in his pockets.

"Oi, what's with the dressings? Did something happen later?"

Kaito huffed and rolled his eyes "That's nothing. If that is all you can -"

"Kuroba." The Brit cut in with a serious tone "Is this a new injury?"

Hattori cut in snapping at Hakuba "Oi… what are you implying here? I've checked him yesterday and it was fine."

"Oh have you? Isn't that interesting…" Kaito smirked and crooked his head a bit.

"Come on… enough with the 'I'm not KID' act." Conan murmured with annoyance "You met us after the heist and you were fine then. What is it about now?"

Kaito grimaced and growled irritably, turning to the living room. The detectives followed him and saw him tuck up his sleeve and start unwrapping his bandage. There was a band-aid underneath which he tore off with a soft hiss. They saw neat stitches covering his forearm, holding together a nearly healed, but slightly irritated from Heiji's grab wound. It surely didn't look like a new injury. He pulled down the sleeve and threw them an annoyed stare.

"Happy now?"

Heiji blinked a couple of times "But how..? I checked and you were fine…" He mumbled in shock.

The magician snorted unamused, absently rubbing his injured forearm "Well, my guess would be that you didn't check me."

"So… who did we meet with..?" Conan asked in awe staring into space before him, mind racing through the whole encounter with the girl they were sure was KID. Her act was perfect to the last detail and it did seem she was fully informed about most of their encounters with the thief.

Kaito felt his annoyance build up again as he watched three detectives acting like wax figures in his living room. After he wrapped the bandage into a neat roll and hid it with the splint in his pocket, he cleared his throat to pull their attention, smirking "Really guys? You have nowhere else to pull your standing-still contest?"

That certainly did the trick, although the magician wasn't sure, if that was what he wanted…

"Kuroba, what is the meaning of this?" As the addressed teen raised his eyebrow Hakuba huffed and rephrased his question "Who did we meet after the heist?"

He winced and shrugged "Why are you asking me this? It's not like I was there…"

"Kuroba-kun… is there anyone who knows everything about our encounters with KID?" Conan asked patiently carefully watching the magician, who simply smirked mockingly.

Kaito smirked "My best guess would be… KID?"

Heiji grimaced annoyed eiji H"Oi, that's not funny. Tell us what's going on. What were you doing after the heist?"

The mocking smirk didn't leave magician's lips "Hm… let me think… Oh right. I was watching a movie with my mom. After the heist report on TV has ended of course. Mom likes to watch it just as much as I do. But I guess mine nor her word will be enough for you?" He sighed with regret.

"You're trying to just deepen the trick from yesterday. This injury is just a disguise. You've been probably only acting wounded this whole time." Conan concluded and turned his gaze to his fellow detectives "KID didn't have a scar and Hattori confirmed that there wasn't any disguise on his arm."

Kaito rolled his eyes and spoke with a mocking tone "Yeah, you're right. I foresaw weeks ago that this guy would barge into my house and pull up my sleeve. You got me – after school I act as a fortune-teller." He sighed "Too bad I still suck in lottery games. I could make a fortune…"

"Kuroba, do you mind if we see this injury of yours up close?" Hakuba asked still wondering about the whole situation. He also didn't feel anything off with last night's encounter. Although it was strange for KID to tell them so much…

"Go to a petting ZOO, if you want to touch something." Kaito retorted and backed out slightly, clearly ready to make a run for it, if they decided to try and catch him "I don't keep this hidden, for you to have fun uncovering it."

Hattori frowned "Why did you hide it in the first place anyway?" He backed a bit himself to show he had no intention to attack.

The magician looked away and sighed "I just… It's none of your business."

Hakuba exhaled slowly "You never show any of your injury, because you don't want anyone to sympathize with you?" The annoyed glare and grimace from Kaito was good enough for an answer for him "Just let me see it, so I can believe in what you said just now."

The magician eyed annoyed his detectives, it didn't seem like he could convince them "Tsk… Alright, but not a word to Aoko about it and no poking, deal?"

"Deal." Hakuba agreed with slight relief, as he saw tension fall from the other teens shoulders.

Reluctantly Kuroba pulled up his sleeve and grimaced slightly as Saguru grabbed his forearm to be able to examine the stitches. The detective didn't miss it.

"I'm sorry…" He loosened his grip over it "It still hurts? You were wearing a splint…"

Kaito half shrugged with his other arm "Just a precautions. Bone is a bit sore, nothing big."

Hakuba hummed and focused on the injury He narrowed his eyes noticing a small detail "A clean cut and it seems… It has been re-sewn?" He threw a puzzled look at his classmate who rolled his eyes and huffed.

"Attrition wounds leave awful scars and I didn't want that."

The blonde blinked at him a few times, shocked by that statement, letting go of his hand "So you've had somebody cutting up your arm and sewing it back again?"

"Nah… why would you think that? I just put it under a sewing machine…" He answered with a mocking smirk and pulled down his sleeve "Happy now?"

"And what about your leg..?"

Kuroba backed out with a dramatically scared stare "You pervert… I'm not going to undress for you..."

Hakuba responded with a flat glare "That's **not** what I had in mind -"

Kaito cut in with a firm voice, dropping the amusement "Good, because I'm done talking about my injuries."

The Brit just sighed accepting his decision "So, do you have any idea who carried out last night's heist?"

The magician smirked at that "From what I've seen, I'd say it was KID-sama."

Hattori growled annoyed "Could you quit it? We know you're KID and apparently you weren't there last night!"

"Well, I'd gladly present you my alibis for a few more heists, but it seems that even if I'm in the same room as KID-sama it isn't enough for some people." He retorted shooting a glare at his classmate.

"So there are two people acting as KID?" Conan asked slightly confused and disbelieving.

Kaito shot him an annoyed glare, but shrugged "I'd doubt that, unless they have the same set of skills, but hey! Stranger things happen, right Chibi?" He said eyeing the shrunken detective, with an all-knowing smirk.

The boy shot a glare back at him, wondering what he was playing at. On one hand he was giving they the perfect alibi and on the other he was slamming in their faces hints "What is your deal?"

"Maybe I just like screwing with those, who try to screw with me..."

Heiji sighed "Alright, you say you're his biggest fan. Do you think it was a copy-cat yesterday?"

"I don't think so. Not many would be able to dodge officers like him and conjure so many flowers, without anyone noticing how."

The Osakan smirked "Oh? And how do you know what he did inside the building, I wonder?"

Kaito blinked at him surprised "From the inside video of course. You guys don't know about it?" The detectives looked confused at one and other "Huh... And here I thought you guys tried to investigate KID." He murmured and smirked amused with their irked reactions "It's nothing new. When the KID-fan club was growing more and more people wanted to know how he performs on the inside, so there appeared a guy who started selling police records with it. A while later on KID's most active forum's inside videos appeared a few hours after each heist."

Conan frowned at this "Were they also police videos?"

"Those are not signed, so I couldn't tell. It's not like I have an access to police archives."

Hakuba hummed wondering about it "Could you maybe show us these videos?"

The magician rolled his eyes "Can't you investigate it yourself. You know... not in my house? And I still don't know why you guys are even here." He huffed shooting a glare at them.

Heiji threw him a sheepish smile, scratching his chin "Oh, right we didn't tell you yet, huh?"

"No. You just barged inside, nearly attacking the poor, innocent me."

Hattori threw him a flat glare "... I know I probably should apologize for that, but I kinda don't feel like it when you put it that way..."

Kaito just grinned at that, clearly amused with the reaction "Well... that only proves that you're just a violent brute. But hey, I knew that one already..." He added reassuringly.

"Oi… At least I'm not a freaking monkey jumping around and breaking his limbs, like a certain somebody."

"Yeah, guess you'd break your neck, if you'd try that even a little. Too big and hot head for that I guess."

As they kept going Chikage came by, bringing the promised snacks and refreshments and beamed to the other two detectives "Do you boys need anything else~?"

"No, thank you Kuroba-san." Hakuba smiled softly to the weird woman, when a thought occurred to him "But maybe you could tell us, if your son has any plans for this weekend? We did intend to spend some time with him, but he likes to excuse himself saying he's busy."

"Hum~… Well Kai-chan did mention he's going to be out today, so I guess it might be true. But I don't think he has many plans for tomorrow~"

"Mom, stop." Kaito grimaced annoyed hanging upside-down from the ceiling lamp, outside Hattori's reach and turned his attention to Hakuba and Conan "I'm not gonna squeeze you guys into my schedule, so forget about it. Hey!"

Irked about being ignored Heiji jumped up and grabbed the magician pulling him down, making him fall on the Osakan. Chikage chuckled at the site, not concerned even in the slightest with it and left the room. Much to Hakuba's worry the two of them started rolling on the floor, until Kaito ended up on the bottom and hissed with pain.

"Ugh… Get off me, you idiot!" Recalling the magician was injured Heiji let him go and wanted to apologize, but Kaito just huffed holding his arm "Seriously… You're more of a brute than Ahoko."

"Kuroba, are you alright?" Saguru stepped closer watching his held arm and stretched leg with worry.

He just rolled his eyes and snorted "Yes mommy, I'm fine." Despite that he took Heiji's arm to get up and didn't hesitate to support himself a bit on it.

Hakuba shook his head and sighed at that reaction, promising himself to worry less about the idiot, especially seeing the Osakan's smirk. Conan chuckled and sat on the couch, seeing Kaito sitting himself on the armchair. He didn't miss that it seemed his leg was bothering him after the wrestle.

"So how about you show us the video? Would gladly hear your comment on KID's performance last night." He asked eyeing the magician.

Kuroba glared at him, clearly not happy with the idea of getting up at the moment and snorted "Sorry, ain't got a lap and my phone is charging. And I have no intention letting you into my room."

"Don't see a problem here…" Heiji grinned passing him his own smartphone, munching on a cracker.

Kaito took the phone shooting his detectives a flat stare "But you guys know, I have no intention helping you figure out or catch KID?"

Conan grinned "Since we're not trying to catch him either, I don't see a problem here."

The magician snorted and shook his head. It didn't really matter, if he showed them the forum and it could be entertaining to hear their deductions, so he turned on the site and opened the video.

They connected the phone to the TV, to be able to watch it on a bigger screen. The film was composed from a few points of view. It surprised the detectives to see that a couple of times it must have been recorded from KID's perspective. The quality was high and they could clearly see every detail. The thief did use some tricks to make it easier for him to dodge the tackling officers, making them bump with one and other and form gaps between, but still it seemed that he didn't have any problems moving around. Undoubly the person on the video wasn't carrying any injuries. Shinichi eyed the amused magician, who was munching on chips. It was possible he was faking his pain, but could he make such a detailed injury disguise that would fool Hakuba's inspection? That wasn't very likely… But he couldn't believe there were two KIDs and after the few chats he had with Kuroba he was fairly sure that the magician was the thief.

They didn't get to watch it for too long when Kaito told them he had to leave soon. There was no point in arguing about it too much, so the detectives got up getting ready to leave as well.

"So, see you tomorrow Kuroba-kun." Heiji grinned at him.

Kaito shot him a flat look "Huh? And who said I'm going to meet you again?"

Conan chuckled "Now don't start acting like that. It's more than obvious that you like spending your time with us."

The magician grinned at him "Oh sorry, but I don't enjoy babysitting creepy kids, Chibi."

"Not a problem then." Hakuba cut in "Conan-kun won't be coming tomorrow, so you won't feel like babysitting. We can give a tour for Hattori-kun. We'll pick you up at 2 PM." He promised.

"Oi… I did say I have no intention to -"

"Yeah, yeah, but you're still going." Hattori waved the matter off and pointed at Saguru "You're more fun than this rigid Brit, so you're going to make sure I don't die from boredom." The mentioned teen glared at him.

Kaito opened his mouth and close it again. This was clearly going out of hand and worst was that he did want to go with them. And he actually could, if he could slip away after a few hours.

Heiji grinned again seeing that the magician was hesitating and pulled his fellow detectives out of the house "Great, then see ya tomorrow." And he closed the door behind them, before Kuroba could gather himself enough to protest.

Watching the closed door Kaito wanted to drive his face into it. He didn't. He slammed it into the wall instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seems Kai-chan is slowly losing his grip over the situation x) And what's worse Heiji and Saguru are tolerating each other more x) And his mother is such a traitor xD
> 
> See you next chapter *bow and giggle*


	17. Beyond control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own MK or DC, or any other manga/anime to be exact. I just like to let my imagination run loose :D
> 
> Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story.
> 
> This chapter I present you a lovely day that the two detectives decided to spend with (un)willing magician. It could have ended worse… Or couldn't it?
> 
> First I intended to rewind this day, but then I read all those nice reviews you guys gave me, so I decided to write about this day and let you have fun reading how those two will try handling the joyful magician x) So the little thing at the end turned out later than expected… ;)
> 
> So without further delay…
> 
> Please enjoy and review! :)

It was 12 PM when Kaito went down the stairs and found his mother ending a telephone conversation. He raised an eyebrow as she smiled at him.

"Who was that?"

"Oh, just an acquaintance of mine~" She replied winking at him.

The magician frowned. He knew she was hiding something, but also knew better than to try and make her confess. Instead he just sighed "Oh~? So you're leaving soon~? Good…"

She dramatically placed hands on her chest "So that's how it is? My little baby boy hates his mommy and does not appreciate what she does for him?" She asked with a sob.

The magician smirked at that raising his hands, putting on an apologetic mask "Sorry, sorry. I do appreciate your help and skills. I'm not that good with wounds. But on the other hand I have no idea what are you scheming here…" He crossed his arms and threw her an annoyed gaze from his narrowed eyes "Now tell me where is my card-gun."

"Hum~? Your card-gun~? And here I thought it was KID-san's card-gun~… Strange…" She replied with an innocent expression.

He laughed at that "My bad, my bad~… So where is it?"

"Now, now~ Why would my little boy need a card-gun, when he's going to have a nice day with two detectives~?"

Kaito rolled his eyes "I'm not going to meet with them, if I can help it. I had something else in mind, but you broke my spare gun and I'd rather not leave without it."

"But Kai-chan~! You should play more with your friends, or else they might think you don't like them anymore~" She scolded him.

His face was deadpan "Mom… They are detectives. Sharp ones to be precise. And they already know too much. I don't want them messing with my business. They have an extraordinary talent to get into trouble." He sighed shaking his head.

"Sounds just like my little boy~" She grinned at him "But they do seem like a capable bunch~ Although I am surprised with this little boy~… Something you want to tell me about him~?"

"Not really~ Anyway, you're giving it back, or do you want your son to stroll around without any protection?"

"Well… if you put it that way… I hid it somewhere, where you wouldn't look~" She chirped grinning at him.

He wondered for a moment and shot her another glare "It's in your bra. Give it."

"Aww~ See Kai-chan? Spending time with your detectives is good for you~ You should try it more~"

"Oh~? Think I wouldn't figure it out without meeting them? Sorry to break it to you, but you're predictable. Anyway… you're stalling me, aren't you?" He narrowed his eyes, shooting her a glare, wondering if it wouldn't be best to make a run for it through the hidden room right now.

"I have no idea –" There was a doorbell that cut her out and she just smiled at him "Care to open it?"

"If it's Hakuba, I'm going to slam the door at his face you know…" He grumbled and walked to the door.

He did try to slam them, right after seeing a glimpse of his face, but the detective was fast enough to block the door.

"Kuroba, I'm not falling for the same trick twice. And I'm not letting you get away from our appointment, so you can give it up."

Kaito sighed silently and let go of the door, putting on a grin "Hakuba, so it's you~? And here I thought it was just some homeless guy who likes to camp outside of my house… Oh wait~…" He chuckled, but seeing Brit's deadpan expression, he stopped and just rolled his eyes "Look, I know you like to be early, but don't you think two hours is an exaggeration? I hate to think what time you get up to go to school~"

"I wouldn't be here, if you didn't try to slip away."

"And what made you think that I did?" As Saguru smirked at that and Kaito clucked with annoyance "Right… You turned my mother into a traitor. You should be ashamed of yourself, you know that? Breaking an already dysfunctional family like that… You're just awful…" He moaned and his eyes became watery.

The Brit rolled his eyes at this performance "Whatever you're trying, it's not working Kuroba."

Kaito pouted. "Anyway I have no idea why any of you thought I would just sit around and wait at home for the whole time. Is it so bad, if I wanted to go for a walk, before that forced rendezvous? Maybe I intended to return before 2 PM?"

Hakuba smirked "Well if that's so, we can go together. Hattori-kun should be here soon."

"I don't get it, why do you want me so bad to accompany you on your date? Gather the courage and confess to him alone~" He added with a smirk.

Hakuba sighed heavily, pressing the bridge of his nose "It's not a date and you know it well…" He mumbled and stepped inside, heading towards the living room.

"H-Hey! What do you think you're doing barging in like that?"

"Since you don't intend to act like a good host, I invited myself."

Before he shut the door close with a sigh, Kaito stared at the Brit with annoyance, as he was making himself comfortable in his living room. Hakuba raised an eyebrow, seeing the magician was heading towards the stairs. He huffed, feeling annoyed, and got up from the couch.

"Kuroba, I hope you're not planning on escaping now?" He growled.

The other teen stopped and turned to him, snorting with amusement "What? You intend to follow me to the bathroom? I didn't have any intention of running away. Even though you're making me meet that violent brute again…" He sighed and whined "And how am I to heal my injuries properly this way..?"

Saguru grumbled "I hope you'll keep this promise…" And sat himself back on the couch.

Kaito just grinned at him and disappeared on the higher floor. After a while Hakuba heard him call his mother to help him 'patch it up'. Saguru figured it wasn't very surprising, since bandaging a forearm with one hand would be a challenge. Later he heard footsteps walking around. The detective became a bit anxious as for some time he heard only one person above, but before he decided to go and check up on his classmate, he got down the stairs on his own. He noticed Kaito had a few white feathers in his hair. The magician grimaced at the detective and sighed heavily.

"So… care to enlighten me and tell me what's the point of it all? I will make your day miserable for forcing me into this and you know it. At least you should…"

Hakuba sighed in return "Yes, unfortunately I am well aware of that. But I still do hope you'll drop the unreachable and cold act somewhere during the day. You must admit it would be nice to have a casual time out, with people who are able to follow your wit and respond to it."

Kaito grinned walking to the room "Only if you really can. At the moment I can only admit that you are persistent, annoying, and stubborn." He exhaled, like he was exhausted and fell on the armchair.

The Brit smiled sadly at this, thinking that maybe Kuroba was right. Maybe that was the true reason the magician was avoiding him? Because he couldn't keep up with him and fully understand… He was ripped out of his grim thoughts by a juggling ball hitting his forehead. He rubbed the sore spot and blinked at his annoyed classmate, who was amusing himself juggling with his left hand three more balls.

Kaito sighed and without stopping his antic he turned his gaze on the detective "Stop that. I don't hate you and you know it. I'm only unhappy that you don't listen to me and try to force onto me things I don't like. I am busy and you know it, and despite that you enforce me to make time."

Hakuba lowered his gaze and wanted to respond, but was hit with another ball on the same spot. He jerked his head up, holding his forehead "Why did you hit me again?!"

Kuroba grinned at him "Because you started sulking again and it's annoying me."

"I wasn't -"

"Yes, you were. You can't hide it from me. You do it even sometimes when I mess with that Osakan… Jealous?" He asked with a sly smirk.

The blonde gasped "You're an empath. So that's how you manage those perfect impersonations and charm."

Kaito rolled his eyes with annoyance. Just leave it to a detective to smash a beautiful, carefully crafted mystery with a sledgehammer. Fortunately there was a doorbell, so he could cut the topic. On the other hand, was it fortunate? It was most probably Tantei-han… The magician sighed and got up from the armchair, as the other two juggling balls disappeared mid-air, with small puffs of confetti. He opened the door with the most unamused expression, which was the exact opposite to Hattori's grin.

"Heard you wanted to jolt on us?"

Kaito huffed worriedly "You blame me? I'm being assaulted here by two guys who don't accept a 'no' for an answer. I have every right to fear for my safety. Who knows what you'll try to do to me once we're somewhere without witnesses? Especially considering how much of a brute you are…"

Heiji glared at him, feeling unamused "Not cool dude."

"Right? So why don't you guys just leave and -"

He was cut out by Hakuba who pat him on the shoulder and pushed out of the house "Yes, I'm sure you are terrified of us. Now let's get going, you said it yourself that you wanted to go on a stroll."

"I prefer to walk alone, thank you very much." He growled with annoyance, but didn't try to resist and they walked away from the house with Kaito between the two detectives.

The Brit smirked at that "Well I don't think either of us intends to carry you, so you don't have to worry about that detail."

The magician glared at him, but asked instead "Anyway, where's that little imp? Let me guess, he's gonna jump us the moment I expect the least?"

"I doubt we'll meet him unless accidentally." Hattori explained with a smile, glad that they didn't have to struggle with the magician to make him go with them.

Kaito threw him a suspicious stare "Like I'd believe you…" He mumbled and sighed "Anyway, I've already told Yarouba, so it's only fair to warn you too… I'm not amused with this and intend to make turn day into a misery for you guys. Best would be, if you guys simply said your goodbyes and left." He grinned warningly.

Heiji chuckled and grinned in return "Not gonna let you. You may be able to pull anything you want on Hakuba-kun, but it ain't gonna be easy with me…"

Saguru only closed his eyes, but before he could even manage to let out an exhausted sigh, there was an eruption of confetti. Hattori dashed to grab the magician the second it happened and he managed to grab a struggling teen, but before he managed to let out a victorious shout, his face slammed into the other guy's. They were still struggling to turn away their faces from each other's, when the paper bits fell to the ground, allowing Kaito to make a few photos with three phones. Hattori was tied up with duct tape tightly with Hakuba, facing each other.

"I am going to enjoy this day…" The magician laughed grinning wickedly.

"You just had to challenge him, didn't you..?" The Brit mumbled, angry with the Osakan, once they managed to turn their faces.

"Oi! You bastard! Untie us now!" Hattori shouted, still struggling and nearly causing them both to fall over.

"Argh! Quiet down, you loud-mouth! Your mouth is next to my ear idiot!" Hakuba shouted in return.

"The hell you're doing anyway?! Help me get us free instead of standing just like that!"

"Could you use your brain once in a while? Do you have any idea how hard it is to break his duct tape? I have honestly no idea where he gets it, but it's close to impossible! So stop making a spectacle from yourself! You're only amusing him…"

"I ain't gonna just stand like this with you waiting for mercy! Be my guest if that's what you want!" Hattori growled and yanked backwards, causing them to lose their balance and fall over.

Kaito crooked his head, watching them with amusement. He only regretted he didn't take any pop-corn or any other snack with him. It seemed those guys were going to go on like this for a while. He looked at his house wondering idly how furious would those two would end up, if he left them for a moment and returned home to get something to munch on. He chuckled. Nah… That would be too cruel. He allowed them to go on, until he was sure Hattori was too tired to be able to kill him on the spot. Without hurry, he took out his dyes and made sure they both saw his grin. This time around he tried the pink one on the Osakan and his classmate ended up with purple hair. Unfortunately he underestimated the athletic teen's stamina and when he cut his hand loose Heiji caught him with an iron grip. Since Kaito didn't manage to cut anything more, all three ended up rolling on the sidewalk. Somehow they managed to break loose from each other and after confiscating the duct tape from the magician they continued their walk, with Hakuba in the middle this time around.

* * *

It took some time for the Osakan to believe the magician that he did not carry anything with himself to wash off his dyes. But after he showed them his wicked grin, when Hakuba proposed returning to Kuroba's house, both detectives decided against it. Unfortunately Saguru's antidotes proved to be ineffective on their hair samples. So against Kaito's expectations, they didn't try using them. For the whole trip, Hattori turned out to be stubborn at ignoring Hakuba's advice to stay still and endure when the magician decided to do something.

The upside of this situation was that thanks to this, Kuroba preferred targeting the Osakan, the downside was that rather often the Brit ended up pulled into the prank. Saguru had to give it to Heiji that he did manage to stop or interfere with a trick three times. In the end, he confiscated the duct tape eight times – and each time it was the same roll, or so it seemed. After Hattori burned one, they started having their doubts about it.

But they could give it to the magician – besides the one at the start and one other moment, his tricks weren't very humiliating. They were rather just annoying teases. Once Hattori tripped, but didn't fall when Kaito taped somehow his shoes and provoked the Osakan to chase him. Other time, both detectives ended up soaked when they were walking under the tree and Kuroba was quarrelling with the dark-skinned teen about how long water can stay on leafs after a rain. There was also, of course, always the thing about small items disappearing and appearing in random places. Once Heiji tripped Kaito and as the other teen was falling, he started struggling with a dove, panicking under his shirt and trying to get out. A couple of times the magician pulled the detectives into his tricks to amuse some children, but those were rather innocent and gentle. There were also other minor pranks like that.

The only exception was when they were about to enter a fish market and the Osakan ended up irking the magician, slightly too much. Somehow during the brief blast Kaito managed to switch Heiji's clothes into a Goth Lolita's dress and a glued pig-tail wig. Needless to say Hattori was furious and ended up chasing Kuroba until he returned his clothes and promised not to do it or even mention it again. Saguru wondered idly, if his fellow detective was aware that the promise covered only this day. In the end they didn't return to the market somehow and the Brit wondered if it was only his imagination, or did his classmate really steer the conversation to end up annoying him so much…

* * *

4 PM was drawing near when the two detectives got into an exciting conversation about an especially difficult case the Osakan stumbled on lately. Well, it was interesting only for the two of them, Kaito stopped listening after a short while and started wondering how Tantei-kun was doing.

Hakuba noticed the slide difference in the magician stance, after Hattori finished explaining how he connected two separate facts. He got worried that the situation from week ago could now easily repeat itself. He looked at the Osakan who gave him a nod to confirm that he also noticed the change. Heiji clucked annoyedly and spoke carefully towards their unconscious companion, hoping it would turn his attention back to the present.

"Oi ya barou... Don't space out on us."

Kaito looked at him out of the corner of his eye and smirked "Hm~? What are babbling about now? Sun got to you too hard and overheated your hot-head? Kekeke..."

Not seeing any difference in him, Hattori felt irked and gave him a flat look "Seriously, you're gonna try and irk me even while unconscious?! We can see the empty look in your eyes, you're not fooling anyone."

The magician chuckled. "Well, better having an empty look sometimes than having an empty mind always, like yours~ But no worries... I still like you guys, even a violent ox like you~"

Heiji clenched his teeth annoyedly, forcing himself not to slap the magician in the head. Nearly right away a thought occurred to him, so he smiled, trying to look harmless while closing in on Kuroba, speaking slowly with a calm voice.

"You know I have no intention to hurt you, right? I'll just place my hands on your shoulders like this..."

Kaito gave him a surprised look and crooked his head with a sly smirk, but didn't back out "Should I rephrase what I just said..? Because you know I don't like you in **that** way..."

Heiji grinned at him and clenched his fingers on magician's shoulders to keep him from escaping "Wake up you Ahou!" He shouted loudly right into magician's face, shaking him strongly.

That did the trick, as the magician regained the fully conscious look, clapping hands over his ears.

"Gah! What is your problem, idiot?! You want to make me deaf or something?!"

The Osakan laughed, letting him go and patting him hard on the shoulder "Welcome back to the living. But it's nice to know you like me~"

Kaito snorted with annoynace by his own babbling face and mumbled "I won't anymore..."

Heiji rolled his eyes, while still laughing "Come on, we didn't want you jolting again on us, like you did last time."

The magician's posture relaxed slightly as he crossed his arms, showing a resentful expression "Well, at least I don't turn into a wax figure like you guys."

"At least wax figures don't tend to do random things."

"Yeah - they only stand there, utterly useless."

They were teasing lightly, when suddenly Kaito stopped and grinned at Hattori. A moment later there was a blast of confetti that covered them both. When it cleared Hakuba noticed that the Osakan's image changed completely. His face was white with mine-like make up. He was even wearing a black beret and a white and black stripped, long sleeved shirt. He reached to his mouth and judging from his angered mumbling, he was muffled and unable to speak. The magician was standing near a tree a few steps from them, laughing hard.

"That finally shuts you up! Now be a good mime and show us your performance – but remember, no speaking~!"

Hattori tried hard to get rid of the tape under the make-up covering his mouth, but it seemed it was stuck. Hakuba frowned.

"What's gotten into you this time, Kuroba?"

The magician stuck out his tongue "You guys are boooring! Try and catch me!" There was another puff of confetti, but they noticed which way he ran away.

It didn't seem like Heiji needed any other invitation and Saguru just sighed. He looked around, but didn't notice anything special in the area that could have caused this kind of behavior. The only eye-catching thing was a fancy black car, that Hakuba absently identified as a Porsche 356A. Sighing, he followed the two before he lost them. He must have admitted that they were running rather fast, suspiciously for a person with a leg injury. The Brit failed to notice a small white dove that flew away and sat himself on a tree near the parked car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand… cliffhanger! I know you guys missed those xD
> 
> See you next chapter *evil grin*


	18. Hiding from the crows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own MK or DC, or any other manga/anime to be exact. I just like to let my imagination run loose :D
> 
> Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story.
> 
> This chapter I will present you, a bit more about how attached our favorite kaitou is getting to his detectives. He probably really should decide on his priorities, or finish with the defense against them x)
> 
> I must admit it is lately ridiculously hard for me to find enough peace to write. And this doesn't help my muse at all xD For most time because of that I felt like I was hitting a wall in some spots ^^" I really do hope I didn't make any silly mistakes (but don't hesitate to tell me if you find any xD). So, I'm sorry it took me so long. Unfortunately I can't promise next chapter will be any faster ^^"
> 
> At the very least this chapter turned out exceptionally long xD It's nearly 10 times longer than the first one xD I hope you'll appreciate it ;)
> 
> So without further delay…
> 
> Please enjoy and review! :)

Only when Kaito felt the need to hide his detectives it occured to him how much each of them was standing out. And to make matters worse Tantei-han was also loud. So when he noticed that ominous car, it felt only natural to first of all make the dark-skinned teen quiet and a lot paler. Tantei-san already had his hair dyed and the magician didn't want to take too much time forcing him into a costume also… It was far more important to take them away from those guys, before his nosy detectives sniffed out a case. Because those guys driving that car weren't the type anybody should be messing with. What worried him more was the fact that those guys used alcoholic codenames and Kaito clearly remembered the nicknames he learned during the Bell Tree Express incident. There was the chance Tantei-kun already caught their scent and got interested with them. And if he was on their track, Tantei-han could be too. In worst case scenario the Organization was aware that they were sniffing around, so it would be very bad if this loud-mouth was spotted by the two men who traveled with that car. The magician only hoped that Tantei-san wasn't involved in it. At least yet.

Kaito looked over his shoulder and was glad to notice that Hakuba decided to join the chase through the park. Only that himself and Tantei-han had an advantage in distance over him and the Brit wasn't as athletic as Hattori. The Osakan was looking very pissed, so further messing with him might end up bad, if he managed to place a grab on the magician. The problem was that he was very near, so it would be tricky to let Tantei-san gain on them. Kaito clucked his tongue, concluding that he had to show off a bit. Ah well, those guys would figure out sooner or later that he wasn't injured anymore and luring them away was far more important.

The magician made a tight turn and disappeared for a moment from Heiji's view behind a tree. As he didn't re-emerge behind it, the detective looked up and spotted his target grinning at him, while standing on a high branch, several feet above, playing with his phone. Hattori let out a muffled yell, demanding for the other teen to get down. Kaito crooked his head.

"Huh? Oh, alright~ I'll watch your trick, you can start~" He promised, grimly taking note that a dove he released back at home has returned, meaning she failed to find her pint-sized target. Of course he didn't let even a hint of worry show on his mischievously smiling face.

Tantei-kun could be anywhere in the city. What were the odds that he was in this area? Rather slim, but then again, considering his exceptional luck of getting into trouble made Kaito worry. Aya-chan would undoubtedly continue her search, resting only at his house, but the chances she could find her target were very poor by now. The magician cursed in his mind that he didn't send her earlier, instead of after Hakuba came.

He let out a mocking laugh, seeing Hattori climbing the tree. With one last glimpse on his special phone-app, he confirmed that the other dove which he let out just now to keep watch over the car was still in the same spot. Maybe he had a chance after he ditched his detectives to tail those guys and figure out the location of another hideout? He was mad at himself that he didn't take his special, untraceable bug. He had to return to his safe-house to get one, but there wasn't any near here. Also, to keep clear conscience, he had to make sure all of his critics were safe. Jumping off the tree the turned on another app and dialed Conan's number, laughing at growling Hattori and ignoring Hakuba's plead to stop.

_"_ _Moshi moshi? Who is it?"_ The boy spoke with his childish chirping voice, sounding surprised, most probably because of the unidentified number his phone showed.

"Yo, Tantei-kun…" He spoke with his KID voice "I was wondering how my favorite critic was doing. I hope you didn't bruise your face, hitting it into the table." He chuckled and threw a confetti bomb behind himself to startle Hattori, who was getting a bit too close for his comfort.

He could nearly hear the shrunken detective frown, as he hissed quietly towards the receiver _"Why are you calling me? You were supposed to be with Hattori and Hakuba-kun… Did something happen?"_ It seemed to Kaito that he heard in the background voices of those other kids who often followed his tiny detective.

"Hum? I'm afraid you failed to notify me during our rendezvous that I was to meet them. Anyway… care to tell me where are you~?"

_"_ _Why do you want to know that?"_ Kaito could barely make out details of his detective's background. It seemed there were a lot of people around, besides the kids.

"Ah~! I wanted to talk to you face to face about our mutual friend." He chuckled, checking if the other two detectives were still following him "I've got a bit worried about how much Tantei-han was blushing during our meeting~! It did seem he was interested in me and I would hate to be a cause of his break up with that cute Osakan girl~…" He wondered idly, if Hattori would kill him for saying this out loud. And figured that he would.

_"_ _What the hell are you implying, Kuroba..?"_ The child's voice was so amusingly annoyed and perplexed.

He noticed that Hattori was losing his breath. Kaito figured that since he had his mouth taped shut it must have been hard for him to breath properly "Hum? 'Kuroba'? Well I guess I can roll with this name, if it's convenient for you. I guess you're not in a situation when you can talk freely?" Kaito grabbed a branch and leveled up a tree, using only one hand as support.

_"…_ _Are you running? What is going on there?"_

At last the magician could focus more on the background sounds he heard through the phone. He heard flushed water and a slight echo, which indicated a toilet most probably. But there was also faint music from faraway. So most probably some kind of a mall?

Kaito spared a glance down and saw Hattori who leaned on the trunk, panting hard. Maybe taping his mouth wasn't such a good idea? But then again he would start shouting, if he didn't do it. Hakuba was in much better shape and was suspiciously eyeing the magician who was talking through the phone.

He continued speaking with light tone, too quiet for the two down there to hear anything "Ah, you know me~ Can't stay put for too long~"

_"_ _And you couldn't call me after you stop?"_ Children voices in the background became louder, with whining tones.

Kaito wanted to lead the two detectives following him further away, before losing them, but he could let them have a moment to catch their breath "That would be an awful waste of time~"

He heard a knock on the door at the other side of the line and a girlish voice calling the shrunken detective to come out. _"I'm hanging up now…"_

"But Tantei-kun! You didn't tell me where you are~!" He laughed loudly and jumped off the tree, ending the brief pause in the chase.

Shinichi sighed with annoyance _"Because I don't want you to come here… Go and talk directly with Hattori, if you need to and stop giving them a hard time…"_

"Hum~… Alright… if you put it that way, I'll play a detective this time around and seek you out~"

_"_ _What..? How are you… No matter, just don't come. I'll make you feel sorry, if you will."_

"Oh come on Tantei-kun~ Do you know how many people would love to be in your shoes~?"

_"_ _I'm hanging up now and you better stay with Hattori and Hakuba-kun."_ After those words he really did hang up. Fortunately the app had enough time to point out roughly his location

Kaito couldn't decide if he should praise his luck for noticing the car or damn Tantei-kun's misfortune for being dangerously close to its location. Shinichi didn't sound stressed out, so most probably he either didn't know about the Porsche and its passengers, or he didn't notice them. Yet. And it wasn't just Tantei-kun this time, since he was with his grade school friends. Shinichi had a chance to take care of himself, but what about his little friends? It was clear that the magician had to hurry before they snuffed out a case. He would get another chance to investigate those guys. He just had to be patient.

He dropped a few smoke bombs and hoped his perceptive critics noticed the direction the shadow he prepared jumped, suggesting his route of escape, while he himself hid on the tree. Hakuba groaned tiredly after Hattori, who for some reason didn't want to let up.

Kaito chuckled, idly wondering if everything he put him through this day was good enough for a reason for him to avoid the Osakan openly next time. Hopefully they wouldn't even insist on another meeting like this ever again~ That thought made Kaito sadden a bit, he really did like to be with them. It would be even better, if he didn't feel the need to spook them away… He shook his head to throw away those thoughts. He quickly regained control over his emotions and headed back, wondering what disguise he could come up with, considering how little equipment he was left with.

While running, he started writing a message to Hakuba, hoping that his classmate took to heart what he told him a while ago in class. He couldn't have them returning to the place he lead them out of.

* * *

Conan frowned at his phone after he hang up. He wanted to write a message to Hattori to ask what was going on there, but it seemed his friends started getting anxious.

"Come on, Conan-kun! How long are you going to take? Let's go get some ice-cream and find ourselves a case!" Ayumi moaned, seeing him staring at his phone, as he exited the toilet.

"Yeah! I'm hungry and we need to work hard on our reputation you know!" Genta added with a grimace.

"And you have been running off alone by yourself lately…" Mitsuhiko pointed out crossing his arms.

"That's right. Don't you like to play with us anymore?" The little girl asked pleadingly.

Before Conan could respond to this, the thin boy continued with his accusation "We know you've been meeting with that blonde detective from Britain and that you've been working on a case together. It's not nice when you're trying to keep us out like that!"

Haibara walked behind him and smirked in amusement "You can't underestimate us like that anymore, Edogawa-kun. Better say what you've been up to all this time and what was this phone call about."

The shrunken detective sighed mentally. It wasn't like he could tell them what he was working on lately, so he decided on a half-truth "Sorry guys, I've been helping Hakuba-niisan with a personal matter. He didn't want too many people to know about it, so I didn't fill you in." He smiled apologetically.

The scientist narrowed her eyes, eyeing him with her piercing gaze.

Ayumi on the other hand gasped and smiled widely, with her eyes sparkling "Oh! Was it about a girl he likes~?"

Conan laughed dryly, recalling KID dressed up as 'Hana' "No, it's nothing like that. It was about a friend he was worried about. But I can't tell you the details. Anyway, it wasn't a case or anything like that anyway. Just a few misunderstandings."

The children tried to pry more into whatever Conan was doing lately, but he didn't let them get any more details. Eventually he promised them that he would ask Hakuba to meet with the Detective Boys. The vision of meeting with yet another famous teenage detective and, to add it, one from so far away made them very excited and Shinichi only hoped that the Brit wouldn't mind that. Afterwards the kids asked him questions about the blonde himself, forgetting all about how Conan's been recently neglecting them and the phone call. It seemed that only Haibara was still wondering about it and the shrunken detective wondered if she would let it go, or would she interrogate him later.

They were passing their day casually at a mall when suddenly they heard a scream and Conan mentally prepared himself for a sight of a dead body, as he and his friends rushed to the scene. As they were getting closer, they heard angered and accusing shouts. Turns out, it wasn't a murder, but a daring theft. They weren't allowed to enter the shop, but they overheard that somebody stole a golden statue from the jeweler's exposition. The strange thing was that nobody saw it happen and just a few minutes ago it was still there. An impossible theft, one might say, that idly reminded Conan of the person he just spoke to. But it couldn't be him. Not flashy enough. It seemed that the Detective Boys were also thinking about this particular thief. As they weren't permitted to come closer, they stayed outside the shop, waiting for the police to come, so they could slip in and help solve the case. They started chatting to pass time faster.

"Amazing! It must have been KID." Genta cheered and turned to Shinichi "Oi Conan, can't you go tell them who you are, so we can solve this case?"

The addressed boy rolled his eyes "Baka... they wouldn't listen to me, it's better if we wait for the police. And it couldn't have been him. KID always makes a show and here nobody saw the culprit."

"He is right. Besides KID wouldn't do that. The lady over there is crying, he would give her a flower, so she wouldn't be sad." Ayumi pointed out, pursing her lips.

Conan raised his eyebrow "Are you a fan of his, Ayumi?"

The girl blushed a bit and turned her gaze "Well... he is handsome and daring, and he is nice. And I love his magic!"

Mitsuhiko narrowed his eyes, not happy with the girl's dedication, but decided to support her words. "And it is true that he does return everything he steals, so there is no harm in what he does."

"But he is still a criminal." Added a new voice from behind them, so the kids quickly turned around to see who it was. The person smiled at them as their gazes reached him "Yo! Nice to see you kids again."

Conan gasped, unable to speak for a moment, too preoccupied with his racing thoughts. Haibara was looking just as surprised and she hastily hid her face under her hood. Fortunately the other children didn't notice it as they were swarming around the newcomer, cheerfully happy to see him.

"Shinichi-oniisan!" They yelled in unison.

He smirked at them and focused his gaze on the exposition. "So there was a theft, huh?" He mumbled more to himself than anybody else.

"That's right. But they don't let us enter and help them with investigation. Could you maybe talk to them in our behalf?" Mitsuhiko asked with so much hope and two other children added to his pleas.

The teen raised an eyebrow "Oh? You want to help and solve this case?" He received in return three eager nods and two suspicious gazes. "And do you promise to not trample on any evidence?" He nearly laughed, hearing three indignant whines "Alright, I'll talk to the police when they'll come. But in the meantime we should move a bit away."

Genta looked confused "Huh? Why not start now? The thief can escape, if we wait too long!"

"Not really…" The teen started explaining, focusing his attention back to the shop, as he led them a bit further away. "If they could have, they would have already escaped. Hopefully they didn't, but if we cause a commotion, trying to get to the scene we might make an opening for them. We'd better keep out guard up for now and enter a few moments after the police. When they'll come, it will be the last moment for the thief to escape." He smiled softly at them and received in return for his explanation three impressed hums.

Conan frowned at that. That was a rather poor excuse and he didn't buy it for a second. More so, he was fairly sure now that KID was the culprit, although he wasn't sure why he would do that. Maybe it was his way of earning for his heists? Quiet and fast steal in a broad daylight that nobody would connect to the elusive phantom. But it couldn't be the case because of the phone call. And he wouldn't approach him just like that now, if it was. So maybe it was a distraction? KID loved them after all… But what could he be trying to achieve with it..? Keep them here? Why?

As he was pondering over the matter, his friends kept talking to the teen "Nee… Shinichi-oniisan? Do you think it could be KID behind it?" Ayumi asked sheepishly.

"Hm… well, I haven't seen the scene yet, but I doubt it. It doesn't fit this thief's profile. Also, I'd expect that if he wanted to steal something outside of his heist, he would do it in a way that nobody would notice it for a while." He explained rubbing his chin.

Mitsuhiko nodded his head, folding his arms over his chest "I thought so too. And besides I just don't believe he would do it. He isn't bad." He added shooting a glance at the girl.

She grinned happily "Yep~ KID is too nice for that~! But I'm sorry we won't be able to see his magic…" She added a bit disappointed.

The teen smirked at them hiding his hands in his pockets "Oh? So you guys like him actually? You know, you should rather look up to more respectable people than a thief."

Ayumi smiled at him and nodded her head "We do! We like detectives like you the best~!" She chirped.

Genta chuckled sheepishly "But still his magic is fun to watch…"

All three kids nodded their heads and Mitsuhiko added "I hope nobody can catch him until we grow up, so we can achieve it and prove ourselves!"

"Oh that would be great~!" The fat boy cheered, imagining a vision of himself holding down the white-clad thief.

The children started chirping among themselves, as the teen smirked and murmured quietly "I'll be looking forward to it~" Only Haibara smiled softly at that, probably being the only one who heard it.

It didn't last long until they heard the police sirens, indicating that soon they would be probably able to solve the theft.

* * *

When the police came, the fake Shinichi was carefully observing the situation, trying to notice if anybody was trying to slip out. Conan wondered if maybe this case was just a coincidence and KID was really trying to help out. Undoubtedly, it was his field of expertise and he should be able to find out the trick. But even if the thief was innocent here, the question of why he was here, remained. The boy figured he should try and talk to him privately. If it wasn't a prank (and he doubted Kuroba would want to use his KID-persona for this), it could be something important. The second question was if it was Kuroba now under the mask… But first the case.

Since this wasn't a homicide, but a robbery case, the police officers who came were from 2 Division. There were a couple of familiar faces, known to them from KID heists, but none of them were officially met by Shinichi. Conan hoped that the kaitou wouldn't make a mistake like that. Mixing into a robbery case was already acting against the character, since Shinichi wasn't usually interested in thieves. Letting some kids tag along was another slip. But the boy had to give it to KID – he definitely was a smooth talker. It also seemed he managed to pick officers who had a soft spot for children to talk to, so it was easier for him to convince that the Detective Boys won't cause any problems and he promised that would be keeping an eye on them. Before they entered the crime scene, he instructed the kids to not wander off from his side.

Conan wondered how it would be to observe KID solve a case. He knew for a fact that this guy was able to sometimes spot connections that he himself had a problem to notice at first glance. But then again, he wasn't sure if his goal wasn't to humiliate him. That is why the detective was primarily more focused on observing the kaitou, instead of solving the case at hand. Since it wasn't a murder he had to admit that he wasn't all that interested in it in anyway.

From the start it was obvious for him that KID didn't have much of an idea how to move around at a crime scene. It wasn't very surprising to see that he decided to investigate the trick first. But it was very frustrating to see him smirk and leave it be, before Conan could even start to figure it out himself. On the other hand, he was fascinated to notice the kaitou scolding Genta, when the boy moved a bit too far to the entrance. After that the detective had it easier to notice that during his investigation KID was doing his best to keep the children out of sight.

When he finished with his swift exposition inspection, he approached a female customer, who was present during the theft. It was surprising how much the kaitou was interested in her, until Conan noticed how she was acting. All of the suspects were nervous and that was only natural, but this woman tried hard to hide her anger that didn't seem to be directed at KID. Besides her, there were three other people – the owner, a male client and a female cashier.

* * *

It was funny for him to notice that it seemed that the kaitou had some trouble while questioning the suspects. Nobody wanted to be seen as a culprit, so they all were flooding him with unimportant information and gossips. As he was acting as a famous detective, the suspects were afraid of him and it seemed that was a problem for him. Clearly he didn't know how to loosen up the atmosphere as Shinichi and Conan noticed signs of frustration slipping from under his Poker Face. Since it was for the good of the case, he decided to lend him a hand and started doing it himself or provoking his friends to ask or do things to either loosen the atmosphere or provide them with real hints.

* * *

"Oooh~! Amazing! You have such wonderful earrings!" Ayumi chirped to the customer, who gladly accepted the praise and boasted a bit. She patted the girl gently on her head while eyeing slightly the owner, to make sure he noticed.

* * *

"Hey mister…" The shrunken detective spoke out to the owner pointing at the cashier who was biting on her nail "Why isn't she wearing any jewelry? Is it against the shop policy?"

"No, it's not like that. We don't limit things like that. I've spoken with her about it actually, but it seems she just doesn't want to do it herself. A pity actually." He added with a sigh and Conan barely noticed a frown on the customers face.

* * *

"Lady you shouldn't be doing that!" Genta scowled the cashier "My mom said that if you bite your nails they will grow ugly later on!"

She gave him a sheepish smile and clenched her hands on her lap "I-I know, but you see, boy, I'm very nervous. And it's a nasty habit that I have…" She answered very quietly.

"Huh? Why would you be? We will find the thief, so you don't have to worry, if you're innocent, that is…" He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

She assured him that she wasn't at fault there, but still she seemed very scared and wasn't looking at anybody, unless personally addressed.

* * *

"Mister, mister! Why did you come here today?" Mitsuhiko asked the male client.

The man eyed the boy carefully, but relaxed slightly seeing it was just a child. He shrugged and growled at him "I'm looking for something special to buy, but it's a secret. So leave me be, alright?"

The boy winced at that and backed away to 'Shinichi' who shot a glare at the man, causing him to look away.

* * *

It was fascinating when Conan noticed that KID was actually following his lead. He somehow seemed to notice when the detective was not happy with his acting and he reacted fast, but naturally to it. Actually he was reacting remarkably fast to everybody like that. And he was learning, not making the same mistake again.

* * *

Just like when he was talking with an officer and made a slight pun. Conan was fairly sure that the thief couldn't see him, but it was enough for him to shoot a glare at KID and a moment later, he cut out the laugh, asking the officer a serious question instead, so it looked like he just loosened the atmosphere before. And he didn't try that again anymore.

It was also a bit creepy when the boy was looking at something intensively and when he wanted to back away he always bumped into the thief. But it happened only when the detective found something particularly interesting. Later he noticed KID being more precise with his own findings.

* * *

Conan was fairly convinced that perhaps after another one or two cases like this and his 'Shinichi' act could be perfect. And he wasn't sure if it was good or bad. But he started to understand how he managed to impersonate Sera sometime ago without knowing even basic information about her.

Unfortunately now his act was still imperfect and for some reason KID seemed nervous, so he did make a couple of mistakes. Once Conan noticed him staring at one place for a while. When Conan focused over there he noticed a chipped piece of a jewel, stuck on the woman's coat and he understood that the thief had no idea what to do with the evidence. It was funny for him, but he decided not to laugh and lend a hand to him again.

* * *

"Huh? Shinichi-niisan, what are you looking at over there?" He spoke loud enough to bring everybody's attention to them.

The teen turned to him, with a hint of a pleased smile, indicating he was glad for the offered help "Well I was just wondering if I really saw a glint from this lady's coat." He turned to the female costumer with an apologetic smile "Would you mind if I looked closer?"

She looked around and they could practically see her sweating "Um… I don't…"

'Shinichi' smirked only "Thank you for your cooperation." He said already bending over, taking out a handkerchief out of his pocket.

She gasped, but couldn't find a reason to stop him, especially because an alarmed officer approached them throwing a perplexed gaze at the teen. "Did you find something Kudo-kun?"

"Oh, it must be a piece of glass stuck there. Nothing much. I actually broke a vase at my house when I was leaving. I thought I've cleaned it up." The woman offered a fast explanation.

The jewel thief smirked at her, taking out the glinting piece and 'accidently' pulling up the corner of her coat "Oh I'm sorry… What's this?" He asked innocently, looking at a black wire attached to the inner part of her coat.

"Let go, you brat!" she snapped, forcing the material from his hand "It's an inner belt, if you must know. I had my coat open before and forgot to tie it."

"I'm sorry, I didn't intend to be rude." He apologized, getting up and looking at the piece in his hand "And unless you have diamond vases at your home, this is not a piece of it. Glass doesn't have facets." He explained passing the evidence to the officer and apparently losing interest with the woman.

* * *

At some point he was trying to talk with a cashier and keep Mitsuhiko from getting in his way, so he hinted something to the boy to keep him interested. Thanks to that, the thin child discovered where the statue was hidden and the fault seemed to have fallen on the unlucky cashier. Judging from kaitou's enforced Poker Face and a victorious spark in the female clients eye, Conan managed to solve the puzzle. And it seemed that KID still had trouble with proving it, despite that from what it seemed that he knew nearly from the start who was the culprit.

Conan had to guide the kaitou through it and thanks to how fast he was with catching up, it went smooth. Much to kids joy, he allowed the Detective Boys to help him make the final deduction, although he had to correct them every now and then, and looked rather tired when they finished.

The culprit turned out to be the female customer, who previously was a lover of the owner. She believed she got rejected because of the cashier interfering, who was a nice looking, but very shy young woman. The customer decided to take revenge on her by framing her into a theft. The police found even a memo with an address of a collector, who could be interested in buying the statue planted in the cashier's purse. Unfortunately the memo was written with a pen containing a very unique ink. And although the letters were written in a way that imitated the cashiers style, the pauses the writer made were similar in style to the ones the culprit was used to make. The cashier didn't suspect the woman at all, so she wasn't wary of her and when the woman tripped and dropped 'by accident' her pen, she didn't hesitate to bend over and pick it up. During that distraction the woman managed to cover the statue with her coat and pick it up thanks to an previously prepared loop inside. After that, during the commotion she made the cashier leave from behind the counter and she hid the statue there.

The case went rather smoothly, even despite how the kaitou was inexperienced as a detective. He was perceptive and helped the shrunken boy spot some things faster than he would, if he was working alone. Honestly he wasn't sure he would notice it all. Conan had to admit that KID was a far better investigator than Kogoro and he did a rather good job at his first case. He wondered only how fast the thief could have concluded it by himself, if he didn't have any help.

* * *

The officers were patching up the case and the group was about to leave the scene, when Conan noticed a familiar figure's back from the corner of his eye. The sight of a man dressed in black, with pale, long hair made the shrunken detective's heart beat faster with fear and anticipation. He wanted to follow the man, but somebody grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"And where do you think you're going?" KID asked with light tone, but his gaze was resolute, when Conan looked at him, he threw a fast glance at the other kids.

The boy cursed in his mind, understanding what he meant, he forced himself to smile sheepishly and chirp to 'Shinichi' "Ah, I just needed to go to the toilet. Could you guys wait for me at the café? I promise to be fast."

The teen smirked at that, but didn't let him go "I think you should get your bladder checked up kid. It seems you go there far too often."

"You're not trying to ditch us again, are you, Conan-kun?" Mitsuhiko asked, narrowing his eyes.

Ayumi asked disbelievingly. "Conan-kun! You wouldn't, would you?"

The shrunken detective noticed that Haibara seemed anxious, looking around carefully as the children were accusing him. It didn't seem that she noticed Gin just yet, but she definitely sensed him. She was staying near 'Shinichi', clenching her hands on his clothing. Conan gasped and snapped his head to look at the teen's face. It would be bad, if THEY noticed him like this. And he couldn't ask him to change into another outfit next to the Detective Boys. They had to get out of here and fast. He squeezed his little hand on the teen's and smiled to his friends.

"I'm sorry. Maybe I really should go to a doctor. But I guess I can hold it. Why don't we go to a park? Shinichi-niichan? Maybe you could show us some soccer tricks?"

"I would love to at any other occasion, but unfortunately I had an accident and my leg is still recovering." He answered with an apologetic smile.

"Oh, are y-" Ayumi started with worry, but was cut out, by Conan, who was in a hurry to get them out from here.

"Alright, but we can still go there now and show you what we can do. Maybe you can give us some tips? Please?" He pulled the teen's hand to make him move.

"No. we're **not** going to the park." He answered putting much stress to his voice, smiling softly and promised "Come on, I'll treat you to something tasty~"

"Yay~!" Genta cheered and grabbed his other hand, pulling the teen towards the café, before he changed his mind.

Conan frowned, slightly shocked, and allowed them to pull him to the café. As they sat away from the windows it became perfectly clear now. KID knew about what was going on and was trying to keep them away from Gin, for this whole time. He most probably knew that they were here and he came to make sure the kids and Conan were safe. Most probably the park was dangerous now and that was why he declined the possibility to go there so strongly. The boy wanted to talk about it to the thief right now, but they couldn't.

The teen praised the children for their help at the case, while they chattered cheerfully. At some point, the children asked him to tell them about another case he solved lately. It was hilarious for Conan to hear out his deductions. KID clearly didn't have a lot of knowledge about detective work, but still it was enough to fool most people. After a while 'Shinichi' checked his phone again and smiled to whatever he saw there. He excused himself and much to the kid's regret he explained he had to leave now.

The detective gasped at that and spoke before the teen could get up "Shinichi-niichan, could we talk first before you go?"

"Conan… are you trying to conceal anything from us again..?" Genta growled, narrowing his eyes.

"N-no! It's not like that, I just-"

"Conan-kun, don't start again!" Ayumi whined.

"Haha, sorry kid. I stayed too long anyway and I'm a bit late for an appointment. If you need anything, just contact me as usual, by phone." 'Shinichi' cut in, stopping the quarrel, while getting up from the table "So see you guys later, keep up the good work." He finished with a wink, for which Conan threw him a flat stare. He didn't wink like that…

"But I- I think I lost your number. Could you tell me it again?"

"Oh have you? Alright…" He dictated a familiar number, waved again and walked to the exit of the café.

Conan wrote down the number in his phone and let out a dry laugh. It was his 'Shinichi' cell phone number. He looked up, but of course the teen was nowhere in sight anymore. He wondered how he got this number, but then remembered that Kaito took hold of Heiji's phone at least two times by now. Damn thief… To his distress he noticed that the other kids recorded the number on their phones. That was not funny, it could pose a real problem in the future…

* * *

That was surely an annoying day for Kaito. And since he had that appointment with her, it didn't look like it would turn out as anything better. He growled annoyed while jogging to her place. He didn't want to go there, but he did have a dept to pay, so he had no choice. The magician focused back on his detectives, deciding that he definitely should think of a counterattack, in case those guys would try to get stuck to him again. And he hated his conscience now so much. Why on Earth did he have to start playing hero again? As if being kaitou wasn't enough. Nobody would even thank him for all his hard work anyway. Such ungrateful jobs he's taken on, jeez… At least this time he didn't get hurt in the process, but it was still unnecessarily dangerous, without even providing him his usual fun.

The fun part was only seeing Tantei-kun's reactions to his appearance and his slight teases. He figured that this time he could loosen up his act, since Conan would know from the start that he wasn't who he was disguising himself as. In the end, he only needed to convince the children, who most likely never saw the real deal and the Division 2 officers, whom he knew well enough from his heists and who didn't know Shinichi themselves either. That's why he allowed himself to slip in bits and pieces of his own act and highlight some habits typical for Kudo. It was also funny for him to notice that Tantei-kun at the start seemed rather convinced that KID was the culprit behind the theft. Fortunately he seemed to change his mind about that fast enough, before it became a hindrance.

He was happy to notice on his phone, before they went to solve the case, that the bug he left on Hattori, showed that the detective left the park towards Hakuba's house. He was very glad that his classmate decided to act accordingly to his request he sent through mail. It meant that both of them were together and wouldn't get into more trouble. At least not with those dangerous guys.

Kaito made up something on the spot to keep the children away from the crime scene, before the police came. That allowed him to keep the kids out of the spotlight and having a good spot himself to make sure that nobody was watching them. When they came to the actual scene, it wasn't that hard to keep them hidden behind officers. Sure, people would know that there were children, but it only created a crowd, and KID loved crowds for concealing what he wanted to hide. He was fairly sure he managed to achieve his goal. The kids were rather obedient, since they didn't want to be kicked out and he didn't have to scold them too much to make them stay by his side, with faces safely hidden from onlookers.

He definitely wasn't cut out to be a detective though. Sure, he could make connections, search for a hidden truth and such. He did it for his kaitou job, so he figured it wouldn't be much harder as a detective, especially since it was a case up his alley. That was a reason he didn't resign approaching the kids as Shinichi. He would definitely try something else, if it was a murder case. He decided he could have at least some fun teasing Tantei-kun with his slips while focusing on keeping them all safe and perfecting his new act.

From the start Kaito didn't like the idea of helping the police in such a way. He felt eerie, aiming to arrest a regular thief, since he was a kaitou himself. He would rather prefer to retrieve the missing item and return it, so everybody would be happy and nobody would have to pay for the crime. But he figured it would be hellishly hard to peel those kids away from a case, once they stumbled on one. And, once he confirmed that THOSE guys were not involved directly, he had to admit that being surrounded by the police would be safe for them. So in the end he decided to go with the flow and check out his skills as a detective. And it turned out that it wasn't fun at all.

Unfortunately only after he stepped into the crime scene, it occurred to him that he actually never saw any of his detectives in a situation like this. Except for Tantei-kun, but he was seen as a child, whom nobody treated seriously and didn't ask any questions. He only ran around the crime scene, gathering evidence and making connections in his mind, from time to time jumping out with his annoying 'Arerere?' act to provide some tips. And that wasn't helpful to tell Kaito how a teenage detective should act, or how to sum up his deductions at the end. He knew Shinichi made a show from it, but it wasn't like a detective would make magic tricks, acrobatics or shoot of fireworks.

It was very helpful that Tantei-kun was present. Although Kaito couldn't directly follow his lead, he got some hints for his act from the vibes he got from the tiny detective. That way it was easier for the kaitou to move around the crime scene and talk to the police, without making any fatal errors. He also knew when he was focusing too much on things he shouldn't have. And while it was somewhat similar to when he was impersonating an unfamiliar person, he felt more tense this time, as there was much more at stake here.

He started off with the easiest task, which was finding out how the theft was made. He probably wasn't doing it as a detective would, but since nobody could peek into his mind, it was all fine. He just had to figure out how he, himself would have done it. He even toyed with an idea of adding a bit of a show there. He wasn't very pleased with seeing how it was done, since it was sloppy and not fun in the slightest. The culprit just took it, distracting the cashier first. How he knew it went like that? Because every other way he could think of would leave a clue, a scratch here, a brunt mark there and details like that. And he was fairly sure that as long as it wasn't another kaitou, nobody would be able to think of a way that he couldn't figure out. And he didn't even consider another phantom present there.

Next he could focus on finding the culprit. But since there was only one person giving him a strong spiteful vibe, it wasn't very hard. The woman wasn't even a very good liar. Alright, maybe she was, she even had a rather good cover up story, it was just that her Poker Face wasn't in the slightest good enough to fool him. The motive was a bit more tricky thing to figure out. Because of the emotions she was showing, he could rule out greed, so there had to be something more to it. It was challenging to talk to people present as a detective, because they were wary of him this way. It was annoying that even the innocent tried to mislead him, unconsciously trying to pull the suspicions away from themselves as far away as they could. Kaito felt the urge to go and change into another disguise, so he wouldn't have to deal with their fears that a famous detective caused. Actually Tantei-kun and his fan-club came in helpful here, with their childish act that loosened up the atmosphere.

Gathering evidence was just a pain. Kaito wanted to growl in annoyance and leave, or better yet – steal the damn statue back and then leave. Irked, he practically did point out where it was, but it wasn't a very good move. It made the wrong person a prime suspect.

Thanks to watching his Task Force, he had a rough idea how to gather evidence and secure them at a crime scene, since he saw them do it after his heists. And as a kaitou he knew all too well what an evidence could be and how to get rid of them. But a funny thing was that it wasn't helpful at all. He was just all too sure people wouldn't leave around some stuff. And when he actually found something, he caught himself wondering whether he should secure it himself or just point it out to the officers, without touching it. Thankfully Tantei-kun came in helpful here as well.

Concluding everything and making the full deduction at the end, with helpful (or rather annoyingly distracting) cuts in from the Detective Boys was another pain, but he probably made it enough convincing and theatric. Even though Tantei-kun seemed annoyed with him again, but that was just a nice bonus actually. After everything turned out right and the children were more than happy to stay with him a bit longer. Too bad Tantei-kun had to notice that guy, as they were leaving… He was sure the imp would be a pain now.

He felt relieved when the signal from the dove he left to guard the car started moving. The magician regretted once again that he didn't have at least the gray pigeon with himself, before he sent a signal to the bird to finish the mission and return home. The last thing he needed was for them to notice it.

This whole mess had one upside. The reddish-brown haired girl, who quickly covered her face with her hood and was avoiding his gaze when he came, made him wonder. The few glimpses he took of her was enough to remind him of the woman he disguised himself as during the Bell Tree Express incident. In the end, she calmed down and he could confirm that her voice was similar to the one that instructed him what to say to Bourbon. He was fairly sure now that this girl wasn't a child, much as like Tantei-kun. He was pleased to notice that she eventually managed to relax around him, but it was curious how tense she got when that black dressed guy was near. It was all very interesting for Kaito, but he decided that he didn't want to pry into the girl, even if she was in reality 'Sherry'. He knew from his talk with 'Bourbon' that she was an escapee from the Organization and he probably could learn some interesting fact about it from her. But he decided to leave her be, figuring that questioning her wouldn't be fair.

* * *

This day sure turned out for a surprise for Shinichi. He finally got a proof that KID did possess some knowledge about the Organization. And what was more important, he stumbled on some kind of business with Gin involved. He only hoped that the thief didn't mess with the security cameras and that he would be able to investigate in the mall to get some juicy information. He only had to get rid of the other kids before that and contact Hattori. He wondered if he should involve Hakuba. From this point forward, things could get dangerous again and he wasn't sure how the Brit would deal with it. He did seem careful and that was probably the reason he couldn't get along with Hattori, but Shinichi was still worried about everything that could go wrong.

After they parted with the Detective Boys, they didn't go far when Haibara spoke. And it was with her demanding voice that creeped out Shinichi.

"Spit it out Kudo. Why was KID there?"

He knew it was in vain, but he had to try, right? At least that way he could try and conceal some part of the truth. Probably…

He smiled sheepishly and spoke with a perplexed voice. "Well… I'm not sure?" It wasn't meant to be a question, but looking at her, he had a hard time lying.

She rolled her eyes and sighed "So this is what you've been really up to all this time? You've been investigating him?"

Just give it to Haibara to hit on the spot. But at least it seemed she wasn't aware of the Organization's connection to the case "Heh... I might have?"

She stopped and crossed her arms giving him a suspicious glare "You said you wouldn't be investigating him outside of his heists. So what changed?"

Shinichi tried to shrug in a carefree matter and hoped it managed to fool her "Well I grew interested with him. I want to know what makes him tick and I'm sure there's something more to his heists then we know. I want to know what it is and I'm not going to get that info running after him. It's not like we can talk about everything even when I reach him there."

She raised an eyebrow "So you're going to catch him and throw him behind bars?"

At least with this he could be honest "No. I'd rather have him tell me that during a friendly conversation."

Haibara's expression turned to a shocked one "So you managed to figure out his identity?" As Shinichi smiled and gave a nod, she continued "Call me impressed."

Shinichi smirked and started walking with her again "Well, it wasn't my achievement. Hakuba-kun had him figured out for some time now. We don't have any proof, but since we're not trying to turn him in, we're not trying to get any."

She hummed and nodded her head "That explains why you suddenly decided to team up with him. So how is he, I mean the KID, as an everyday person?" She asked with carefully uninterested tone.

The detective smirked, figuring why she was interested. He didn't miss the fact that she seemed to feel more secure around the thief at the mall, when Gin was near. Shinichi figured that Haibara still felt grateful to KID for his help back at the train. And she never was able to thank him for it, or show her gratitude in any other way. Conan did push the thief to help them back then, but the truth was that he could have just ditched them, if he wanted to. And then they wouldn't be able to shake off the Organization from Haibara's trail. Instead he kept his act, even when things have gotten very serious. The fact that Shinichi didn't like to think about it too much didn't change that they both owned him a lot for that time.

"Well, he isn't very pleased that we broke into his personal space. And as a person he isn't what I expected him to be. I can tell you that during his heists he is rather timid, compared to him acting as himself while around us." He chuckled recalling Kaito's pranks "He can be such a pain, I tell you. But when he isn't trying to shake us off, he is rather fun. He might be nice to have around once we get him to accept that we don't mean any harm for him."

"Sounds to me like it's you guys who are a pain to him." She smirked and sighed "So… Am I to expect seeing more of him around? I will be very unpleased if you make me a target for him, Kudo… I still wonder why he appeared today. He wasn't very annoying and didn't try to make a fool out of your teenage self… Does it bother you that much when he disguises himself as you?"

Shinichi grimaced "Can't say that I'm happy when he does, but I guess I can deal with it, as long as he isn't doing anything weird around Ran, or isn't humiliating me. But he sure did have too much fun making his slips back there…" He sighed "Anyway, he's a hard one to figure out why he does things. He might be just planning something for the future. Who knows?" He saw her narrow her eyes, clearly feeling that he was hiding something from her, so he continued "Anyway, would you like to talk with him, if you got the chance? I mean like him, him, not hidden under a disguise?"

She got annoyed and averted her gaze from him "And why would I want that? I don't have anything to talk to him about."

He smiled sheepishly, glad that his diversion worked "Sorry, you just seemed interested in him. I must have gotten the wrong impression."

"Clearly."

Shinichi laughed dryly, not willing to push on the conversation in that way "So, could I ask you to cover for me a bit? That way I can promise to try and keep him away, at least until we can manage to settle things between us."

"Why? Is your 'big sister' not happy with you spending time with much older boys?" She asked with an amused smirk and received an annoyed glare in return "Sure, I can try. Just promise me you don't plan anything stupid. I… I got a bit uneasy back at the mall." She admitted carefully.

Despite what she said, he never thought about chasing the Organization as a 'stupid idea'. Dangerous, yes, but not stupid. So it wasn't hard for him to promise her that.

After this chat they parted soon, so he could return to the mall. On his way there he called Hattori, still unsure if he wanted to notify Hakuba as well. It wasn't hard for him to decide that he could leave KID and any information he had about the Organization alone for now. It wasn't like Kuroba was getting away from them anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked the chapter despite that there wasn't any direct confrontation with Gin and Vodka ;) But as you can see – there is still more to come about it ;)
> 
> Phew… That took me so long to write… But I'm not sure if it will be any better next week… Still I hope to keep up at least one time a week update :)
> 
> I can tell you guys now that I simply HATE writing about cases xD I was just so tempted to finish it with saying 'they solved it' and get on with the chapter xD It's thanks to madelita that I did write more there, but I do intend to try and avoid it in the future x)
> 
> Side note: I decided to give you a piece of my mind about the BO ;) At least now I won't have to do it in the story xD  
> First of all if an organization wants to keep power and control in the underground it cannot be a ghost. Let's be honest Gin and Vodka are recognizable - they dress like wanna-be-gangstas and are driving a flashy car. If they wanted to be unnoticed they would dress like other members (see: Korn, Bourbon, others). Hence the assumption - they are meant to be seen and recognized my certain people. It is meant for people to know that things get serious when 'men in black' come and that they would be afraid. Nobody would be afraid that they didn't know anything. So hence my conclusion that digging in the right place it would be possible for KID to find out at least the bare bones of the organization existence.Gin, Vodka, Tequila – guys like that are a 'semi-visual face' of the Org. They are the ones to contact outside people and make deals – that's why they interact with people who are not a part of BO and are not meant to know anything about the Org. itself. If an undercover agent (like Kir, Bourbon and guys like that) a special agent (like sharp shooters eg. Chanti), facility workers (eg. Sherry) and probably many other would do it – they wouldn't be able to fully fulfill their roles. Most probably 'face' agents are protected somewhat due to the additional danger they are in.Don't get me wrong here – I know BO is a hidden Org. that works mostly in the shadows and it is extremely hard (if not impossible) to get any accurate info on them (it's size, it's goals, identities of other types of agents or even their existence, facilities, hideouts and so on) and that is why the huge security organizations (FBI, CIA, so on) put their agents inside.
> 
> So I hope that explains enough :D I know that you guys may have a different point of view on the BO, but then again it isn't possible for one story to cover ALL the visions regarding them. I can only hope that you like mine enough ;)
> 
> Anyway this concludes this chapter so… Next time we will start from the insight from the other two detective's perspective, just in case you guys were wondering what was going on over there ;)
> 
> See you next chapter *evil grin*


	19. Seeking out darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story.
> 
> This chapter I'll show you what happened with our two abandoned detectives, while KID was playing with Conan. Afterwards you'll get to see how they intend to investigate on the BO. I hope you're in for a nice surprise.
> 
> So without further delay…
> 
> Please enjoy and review! :)

_*I can't play with you guys anymore_  
So go home. You won't find me anyway.  
To take the tape off use some salicylic alcohol  
(or any other strong alcohol).  
You might want add some while washing off the makeup.  
Unless the guy wants to stay a bit paler that is xD  
See ya at school*

Hakuba frowned as he was looking at the screen of his phone. It wasn't like Kuroba to tell them how to undo his prank. The detective recalled what the magician told him at school not long ago. He would be safe, if he didn't have to take care of others, was it? He looked back in the direction they came from. Most likely there was danger Kuroba decided to take care of alone and he didn't wish for their help. Hakuba didn't like the idea of leaving him alone with this, but since they didn't know what to look for, there was no point to come back and walk right into any danger that might be there. He moved his gaze to the angry Osakan. They both did look rather characteristic right now and there was no way they would be able to hide without getting attention. He sighed heavily. It seemed that the best course of action they could take was to call it a day and return home. He rubbed his temples. He only had to somehow convince that bloody idiot to it...

* * *

Hattori was furious. He was prepared to get pranked, especially after the guy himself warned him about it. He could deal with all those small annoyances. He didn't like them and showed it well enough, but in the end all the teasing was somewhat fun. Especially when there were some children around to distract that damned magician. They probably should consider dragging the guy somewhere with lots of them next time.

Dealing with Kuroba was also frustrating for another reason. In one moment it seemed they were getting comfortable and natural with each other, for the magician to just back out in the next second. Hattori was sure that all Kaito needed was a few more pushes to give in and stop acting like that. And it would be a lot easier, if Hakuba decided to actually help finally, instead of just watching and accepting everything that happened. The Osakan was pretty sure that could be part of the reason why the magician was feeling free to doing anything that popped out of his crazy head.

Heiji sighed. It was freaking hard to breathe like this and he had no idea where did Kuroba run off to. He looked towards the way they ran through. Most probably he just lured them away from there and ran back. He took out his handkerchief to clear his nose. Before he could start walking back, Hakuba grabbed his arm to get his attention. Hattori threw him a tired look and mumbled a question.

The Brit sighed lightly and spoke calmly "I think it would be best if we just leave it and return. I might have an idea how to free you from this outfit without tearing off your skin. But unfortunately I don't have what I need for it with me."

Heiji frowned. If Kuroba masked his getaway, he probably didn't want to be found, so most likely they wouldn't. With irritation he recalled how convincing his disguises were. He growled in annoyance. He didn't want to give up just like that. What point was there in it all if he did? He wanted to smack this magician's head hard, so hopefully that would help the idiot understand that he couldn't just do everything he pleased. And he'd be damned if he was going to act accordingly to the thief's wishes!

Saguru sighed heavily "Listen. I know you want to get back at him right now, but the fact is that you can't. We won't find him right now if he doesn't want us to and running around aimlessly won't do us any good."

Hattori narrowed his eyes and mumbled accusingly. The Brit irritated him more than that crazy monkey did. All he ever did was to take the easy way and simply accept what was going on around him. And what was worse was that he expected everybody else to act the same. Just like they had all the time in the world to just fool around.

Hakuba grimaced "You are aware that I have no idea what you're saying, right?" He sighed again, seeing that the Osakan was ready to burst "I won't even try to make you do anything. So you have two choices right now. Either come with me and get out of this outfit, or run around some more. Alone. Because I am not interested in making a fool of myself anymore. Hattori... I still don't know what you're trying to say, except for the fact that you're mad. But I can't help you with that." The mime-looking teen growled some more, but the ex-blonde just rolled his eyes and dialed a number "Baaya? Do you think you could drive us home? Yes... I'm afraid Kuroba decided to escape again, leaving us looking... rather eye catching. Thank you." He explained to her where to find them and disconnected, focusing again on his fellow detective who seemed to have calmed down a bit "So, have you decided?" He received an unpleased grumble he identified as acceptance "Good, our ride should be here in about 7 minutes."

It took Baaya 6 minutes and 43,09 seconds to arrive. Hattori was still grumpy as they left the park and for a long time he kept looking through the window, hoping to spot the annoying magician.

* * *

Fortunately, Kuroba's instructions on how to undo the mime disguise were true and soon Heiji was free to talk and annoy Hakuba, as he was trying to figure out a way to get their hair back to normal colors. The Brit wondered absently, if it was a good idea to free his fellow detective's mouth before he managed to find the right formula. It started when Hattori noticed him place the bug they found on the Osakan detective in a lead box.

"Oi, you're gathering them?" He asked, being very surprised and not pleased with it.

"And what do you expect me to do with them, Hattori-kun? I could either destroy them, give them back or store them and in my free time try to find a way to trace back the signal or at least a way to jam it, without locking in a lead box." He stated, locking the cover.

The dark-skinned teen hummed at that, understanding the reasoning "Any luck with that?"

"I'm afraid I'm not that skilled with electronics and I do have very little time anyway. If you want to try your luck, be my guest." He said, sitting himself down next to a desk with his chemical devices.

"I wouldn't know where to start. I'd probably need some equipment for it. I'll give it some thought later. But it seems you have a lot of them." Heiji continued taking a peak into the box.

"You do know that when you have it open, he can probably hear us?" He mumbled with slight annoyance without sparing a look at his guest "There are a few microphone bugs in there."

Hattori shot him an annoyed gaze and shut the box loudly "They would need a power source to be active all this time, you know… It's not like they will work endlessly."

Heiji could agree with Kuroba that the guy was irritating with his constant calm. He sighed. They would spend some time together in the near future, so he probably could try and get more friendly with the Brit. That or most likely he would shred him to bits after a day.

"So... your specialty is chemistry?"

"I'm more into medical and biological science, but as you can clearly see I can manage this as well."

"Alright... You into any sports?"

Hakuba sighed, taking his eyes from a microscope "Hattori-kun, as I would in any other circumstance appreciate a chat like this, I am trying to concentrate at the moment. So unless you don't mind the color you're currently dyed with, I'd be happy if you let me work. In silence preferably."

Heiji made a face, but reluctantly had to agree with him "Ok, can I help you somehow?"

The Brit returned to his work and replied with a calm voice "No, thank you. If you want to, I could tutor you after I finish, so you could learn it and provide me help next time. Now if that is all, I'd like to get back to work."

Exactly that swaggering act was what irked Hattori the most in Hakuba. The Osakan left his fellow detective to find something to amuse himself with.

* * *

It took unnecessary long for Hakuba to figure out that this time the dye had to be removed with water mixed with lemon juice. The situation felt a bit awkward when the teens managed to get their hair return to normal, as neither of them knew how to start a casual conversation with each other. It seemed that the magician would be a good topic, but in fact it wasn't the best choice without Kudo around to stop them in time.

"So... guess it would be best to hang around playgrounds or such with him."

Hakuba raised an eyebrow "You seriously want him to stay focused on his magic all the time? I'd prefer to have him calmed down, so it would be possible to just talk."

Hattori shot him an annoyed gaze "Can't say I've seen that works. He seems to be constantly focused on his antics anyway. At least near kids he tones them down."

"Well, he is like that only because you encourage him. I must say he is abnormally active with you around." Saguru sighed tiredly just from recalling the day.

"I ain't gonna stay still and let him have his fun with me like that. And at the very least, it is better to keep him amused, so he doesn't try to run away and stays around longer." Heiji pointed out.

Hakuba smirked at that "Yes... We both saw just recently how well that worked."

"Yeah, because you boring him to death worked miracles for the last... Two years, was it? I just see how much he loves to stay around you from his own will. You're too slow. This way it will take forever before you reach him."

The Brit paled at that slightly and clenched his teeth. He clearly wasn't happy with having his struggle with Kaito pointed out like that.

The Osakan rolled his eyes "You just have to get a grip of yourself, decide on what you actually want and focus on achieving it. Letting him do as he pleases only makes him feel impunity, so he doesn't feel the need to change anything in his behavior."

Hakuba huffed "I have already told you numerous times that I have tried that and it didn't take me any closer to him. If anything, it seemed to only push him away. And I do believe that I have bigger understanding for him than you do. You've known him for only a few days." Hearing Hattori snort at that made the blonde annoyed "More so, if you have forgotten already, we want to make him to calm down, not get more agitated."

Heiji growled in annoyance as the stubborn Brit didn't even try to listen to him. "You mean fall asleep? Because that is the only thing you can achieve. That or you either let him pull your nose or you fuss over every little detail. Neither of us is so stupid to hurt the other, you know." He pointed out, grimacing. "And maybe you've been longer around him, but it seems I do know him, or how to provoke him to do what we need him to far better. You, on the other hand have no idea how to reach him." He huffed, tucking his hands in his pockets "I think you're the one who should start listening to me. Not the other way around." He added with a self-satisfactory smirk.

Both glared at each other, with Heiji showing a stubborn stare and Saguru an angered and hurt one. Eventually the Osakan turned away.

"I don't wanna hurt your feelings or something, so don't take it to personally, but consider it, alright? Thanks for your help with the costume and dye. I'll leave you now."

"Yes… That might be best…" Hakuba mumbled, trying his best not to sound too sour.

And so Hattori left the manor and its householder. He directed his steps towards Kuroba's household, figuring that at some point the magician would return there. He put some thought and research over the Phantom Lady issue and figured that the other detectives were most probably acting too secure around her.

* * *

Heiji didn't manage to reach his destination when his phone started buzzing, announcing an incoming call. He smiled, seeing his friend's number, wondering if he could tease him a bit, or should show him some sympathy. He decided on a friendly tone for start, hiding his own irritation for the Brit.

"Hey Kudo, how was your day?"

The boy responded with hints of amusement in his tone _"It turned out surprising. I didn't expect you guys to lose KID."_

That surprised Hattori. "Huh? How did you know? Did he..?"

Shinichi chuckled, cutting in. _"Yeah, he came to see me. But before I talk about it, tell me what happened at your end."_

Heiji grimaced, since he didn't really intend to tell his friend about it "Well… I've been teasing with him a little, when suddenly he taped my mouth, put me in some costume and started running. I had no idea why. During the chase he called somebody and disappeared soon after he finished. I wanted to return to where we started, but that Brit ahou stopped me…" He added with an annoyed growl.

Conan sighed irritatedly. _"Hattori, did you get into another fight with Hakuba-kun? Damn it, I don't have time for this. Can't I leave you two alone for one day?_

Heiji growled to the phone. "He annoys me with just letting the guy do anything he pleases. He has no idea how to handle him, I tell you. He's acting so slow and secure that I want to strangle him. We won't make any progress his way and he just doesn't listen to me."

_"_ _Hattori… Must I really remind you that it's thanks to him that we even have a shot with Kuroba-kun? Let me finish."_ He added as he heard the Osakan trying to cut in. _"I don't mean just finding him, which was partially luck. He worked hard with him for a long time now and I don't believe his input is inappreciable. Most probably your taunts work on him like you want them to only because Hakuba-kun is there to console him and allow him to feel secure enough. I doubt he is doing it fully on purpose, but haven't you noticed that he tends to stay closer to him while interacting with you? Kuroba-kun trusts Hakuba-kun, because he has proven to care for him. I'm not saying that what you're doing is wrong, but try and see the bigger picture here, maybe?_ _It_ _would be great if you guys could just stop trying to prove who is more right and start working together."_ He finished with a tired huff.

The Osakan fell silent, feeling abashed with what his friend told him. Finally he cleared his throat, deciding to change the topic. "So… What did KID want from you? He came just to annoy you?"

This clearly annoyed Kudo. _"Hattori… I want you to apologize to Hakuba-kun and get over it. Are we clear?"_

Heiji growled in annoyance and ruffled his hair, and it reminded him again that he lost his cap to the damned magician "Alright, I'll try… fine?"

Shinichi sighed heavily. He really didn't want to focus on that now _"Glad to hear it. Anyway, as for KID, I also thought first that his goal was to annoy me. He even used my face. Again."_ He added with a hint of irritation leaking through his tone, but dropped it with a huff _"That was until I noticed him concealing me and the kids and later I spotted Gin. And KID stopped me from following him. It seems that something was going on in the park, because he kept us from going there. But I'm sure now, Hattori… He knows about them. Too bad he left before I got the chance to question him. But I guess I can do it next time…"_

The teen stopped in his tracks with eyes wide open from shock "Whoa! You've stumbled on them? But he didn't spot you?" He asked with worry and continued with thoughtfulness. "And was it Ekoda Park, by any chance? That would explain Kuroba's acting… We were there when he started acting weird."

_"_ _Yeah, that was the one. And thanks to KID, I doubt he noticed us, so don't worry. Anyway, because of the kids I didn't get a chance to investigate what was Organization up to there, so I'm headed to the mall now. I might have to get a hold on the security footage though…"_ He added grimly.

Hattori clicked with his tongue "Might be tricky… Maybe the FBI could help with that?"

_"_ _I don't know those who are in Japan at the moment and unless there is no other choice, I'd rather have it stay that way. No idea if they might have a rat in their ranks. Jodie-sensei, Camel-san and others won't be back before the summer break ends. If they can manage to return at all…"_ A thought about Akai passed his mind, but since the guy was still in hiding, he discarded it. _"Seems we're alone on this one. I'm thinking whether to tell Hakuba-kun… Now that I think about it, it's possible that the police might have at least one record. It should be easy for him to get a hold on it…"_

"I could always try and get a hold on the police record…" He offered and frowned "Anyway, why would they have it? Something more happened there?"

_"_ _Yeah, there was this small theft case. And guess what – since 'Shinichi' was present, he decided to solve it. That was intriguing to watch…"_ He said with a chuckle.

"What? He can act as a detective too?" The vision surprised and amused Hattori "Huh… so how did he do? Guess he was lucky it was a theft… Did he solve it?"

_"_ _I'll tell you about it later. I'd rather focus on the other matter now."_ He sighed _"I think I'll call Hakuba-kun. I might need him for this when you're not around anyway. He might also help me push Kuroba-kun later, if we don't find anything, so I need him to know what is going on…"_

Heiji grimaced, he didn't feel like meeting with the Brit right now, but he wasn't going to leave his friend in a moment like this. He felt bad enough that he couldn't be there always to help him when needed "It's your call. But I guess I could hang around a bit longer, in case you need me. We're not having any tests this week, so it should be fine."

_"_ _Thanks, it might be helpful, we'll see how it goes. So you coming?"_

Hattori grinned "You don't even need to ask. Just tell me where and I'll get there as soon as I can."

* * *

Hakuba wasn't very willing to meet up with Kudo when he called. He changed his mind after hearing that it was something connected to the Organization Shinichi was dealing with. And that it somehow explained Kuroba's weird behavior from earlier. Kudo didn't tell him any details, since he preferred to talk in person about it. Hakuba's heart was beating hard with anticipation when he drove to the mall. He knew that things could start getting dangerous from now on, but at the same time, this would lead them closer to the truth. And also to helping Kuroba. And Saguru had enough of standing still in one spot all this time.

He wanted to call the boy once he got out of the car, but before he managed to, he noticed him talking to a security guard inside. So instead he walked into the mall, making sure the shrunken detective could spot him and he sat himself nearby. Much to his displeasure, before Shinichi finished his conversation, Hakuba saw Hattori enter the mall and was now approaching him. He wasn't looking forward to talking with the Osakan, who gave him such a painful blow with his words just a while ago. He gave the other teen a nod to acknowledge his presence, hoping that he wouldn't try and start a conversation. Regretfully the hope turned out to be unfulfilled.

When Heiji got near, he offered him a sheepish smile "Hey… Listen Hakuba-kun, I'm sorry for what I said back there. I was mad and it was load of crap. It would be great if you could just forget about it…" Saguru could easily tell from Hattori's expression that he was feeling extremely awkward.

He smiled sadly and shook his head slowly "There is no need for you to apologize. I do believe that at least some of what you said might have some truth in it… I did consider before that it might be my personality that is pushing Kuroba away." He added grimly, averting his gaze.

Hattori rolled his eyes "Come on, don't give me that. You know that this guy feels comfortable around you, it's clear that he likes you. I'm more than sure that he does see you as a friend already. He just might not admit it, because of this whole secretive act he's holding." He grimaced and also looked away "It irks me so much that we can't break through it… I just want to be done with it and get to the real problem at hand." He tucked his hands in his pockets, looking back at the Brit. "So I'm sorry if I might snap at you sometimes… I really don't mean it…"

Hakuba moved his gaze back to his fellow detective, to determine if he meant what he was saying. He surely didn't expect to hear words like that. That made him recall how Kuroba was acting around him, what he told him a couple of times when they were alone and how he tended to get near Saguru, when things were getting out of hand. It really did look that the magician trusted him to some extent and felt somewhat comfortable around him. And that meant that his hard work wasn't in vain. His smile turned into a more relieved one.

"Thank you Hattori-kun. I think I needed to hear that. And I must say, I understand your irritation. So no need to worry about it too much."

"Great. Do me a favor and don't tell Kudo what happened at the fish market, alright?" He asked with a sheepish laugh and froze as he heard a voice from behind him.

"And what happened at the fish market?" Conan asked with curiosity in his voice, glad that both teens seemed to have buried the hatchet without his help.

Hakuba chuckled, slightly amused "Nothing of any importance. Kuroba simply proved that it is not a good idea to provoke him too much. Anyway, care to elaborate on what you told me through the phone?"

Shinichi's amusement dropped significantly and he gave a nod. "Sure, but let's go to the park first. I'd like to see the place where he spotted them."

So the three of them walked there. For a while Hakuba and Hattori argued about the exact place, while Conan simply ignored them in favor of looking around. As he feared, he couldn't spot anything significant, which meant that either KID knew something he didn't, or that he simply by chance noticed Them. But that was a question for later, as for now he simply wanted to talk to the two teens in private, without fear of being overheard. By the time he finished his inspection, they had already agreed on one spot and even the route Kaito chose to lead them. The boy cleared his throat.

"So, I guess you recall all that I've told you up until now about Those guys, right?" He asked towards Saguru, who gave him a nod to confirm "Right, basically like I said, I know only about a few members. Most are working undercover and you wouldn't say that they are criminals. The guy I saw today is called Gin. He's rather recognizable, tall with long, pale hair. I haven't seen him wearing anything besides a black trench coat and a hat. He's usually accompanied by Vodka, a large bulky guy who dresses the same way. They're the guys who put me in this state. I had a few run in's with them and they are rather the type to shoot you and not bother asking questions. From what I know, they are high ranking in the Organization, so my guess would be that anything they were up to in the mall was probably big. This is why I need to know what it was. But we can't just start asking questions blindly. No need to pull attention to us, or we might end up dead. I thought about security cameras. They most probably were caught on film, it shouldn't be very hard to spot them, since they look rather characteristic. With some luck we might be able to recreate their whole route in the mall, or at least a part of it. There was a theft case at the time and some Division 2 officers came. Most probably they took the footage from the jewelers area as evidence. It would be great if you could get a hold on a copy, or at least see it through and see if you can spot where they came from. At the very least on their way back they passed nearby and I'm fairly sure it was in its range. Needless to say, you need to be careful not to get anyone's attention that you're interested in it."

"That is rather clear." Hakuba agreed with a serious voice "It shouldn't be much problem. My father supports my interest in theft cases, so he shouldn't ask any questions if I asked to view this particular one. It might be easier, if you gave me some details of it though. But more importantly, it is rather obvious that we should look through other camera footages. I saw you talk to the security guard. I understand you have an idea how to acquire it? If the thief was caught, I'd doubt that the police would be interested in all of the records, besides the one close to the shop."

Conan bit the inside of his cheek and threw a glance at his friend, for reassurance that he was doing the right thing. Here came the tricky part. He told the Brit more than necessary about those guys, so he wouldn't object too much, but still he had no idea how he would react to a semi-legal idea. Alright… it wasn't even in the slightest legal. But then again he was trying to befriend an internationally wanted thief and he did already conceal some evidence for his sake, so odds were good. He started guardedly.

"Well I did try to ask the guard to show me how his work looks and maybe take me to the security room. But that failed. I'd rather not wait too long since either Them or KID might want to get to the CDs. And like you said, we can't really ask the police to get it for us and not cause any questions, so I guess I'll have to try and get them myself."

"So basically you intend to sneak into the room and steal the records?" Hakuba asked to clarify, without a hint of accusation in his voice.

"I'd rather say borrow them. But basically… yeah." He answered, offering a dry smile.

Saguru closed his eyes and sighed heavily. He understood the reasoning and the need behind it and he couldn't find any other way to acquire the records in such a short time in more legal way. But it was still hard to swallow for him. The other detectives didn't try to rush him, wondering how he would answer. It didn't take long before his shoulders dropped and he opened his eyes.

"It does seem the best way. So do you have more detailed plan on how do we do it?" His voice sounded slightly defeated, but not unfavorable to the idea.

The boy blinked a few times. "Not a 'we', I'm going in alone. It will be easier-"

"Like hell you are." Hattori cut in, shooting his friend a flat stare "No way I'm leaving you alone with this. And don't even try to argue." He warned him, seeing Conan open his mouth to protest.

Hakuba smiled softly, easily agreeing with the Osakan "You cannot possibly believe we would let you go in alone. Especially after pointing out how dangerous it is. So best let's just review the plan. At least my experience with the heists should come in handy here."

"It's very nice of you guys, but I intend to wait in the ventilation shaft for the guard shift to change. And my body is a whole lot smaller. Plus one person will be harder to spot than two teens with a kid."

Heiji rolled his eyes "Come on, we're not larger than Kuroba-kun and from what I know, he's a regular in places like that, so I don't think it should be that much of a problem."

Shinichi's expression was deadpan. "KID is a skilled escape artist and a gymnastic. You're not. And I doubt you ever tried to crawl through a place like that."

"I have." Hakuba cut in with a shrug. "I did try to catch him by surprise. Can't say it was a pleasant experience, or convenient to be honest, but not that hard as you might imagine it."

Heiji grinned at his friend, challenging him to try and oppose some more. Eventually Shinichi gave up and they reviewed the details of their plan. They regretted that they didn't have the blueprints of the building, so they could just enter the security room from the ventilation shaft and had to creep through the corridor instead. They wondered idly how did Kuroba get a hold of things like that (they didn't doubt for a moment that he have), especially for a private residence, but they didn't dwell on it too much. Later they returned to the mall, to spend the rest of the time in a café and Kudo told them about the case in detail, telling them how KID preformed on his first case. It was amusing for them and Hattori wondered if they could actually make a detective out of him. The idea of letting the crazy magician run loose on a crime scene was rejected rather fast. In meantime Hakuba called his father, who promised to have the copies of the reports and the precious camera footage delivered by the next day.

* * *

As planned, they went to the bathroom not long before the mall closing hours and hid themselves in the ventilation shaft. Conan explored it a little, silently, and found an exit leading to an inner corridor that they hoped led to the security office. Now all that was left was to wait for the security shift to come. It felt very odd for the detectives to hide themselves in a place like that. Especially regarding what they were going to do in a while. It was a good thing they had so much experience chasing KID, so they knew the best places to hide in a building, where nobody should look. It was still a pity they didn't know the ventilation layout. They decided that crawling aimlessly wouldn't be the best idea, since for one they could get lost and secondly it might be loud and take too long, since only Conan was able to move through them with some ease. Waiting like that was boring and they idly wondered how the thief amused himself in situations like this. They for most time just settled with their own thoughts or short, quiet chatter, after a guard passed.

"You guys know what..?" Hattori whispered at some point.

Conan raised an eyebrow and turned to his friend with interest "Hm?"

"Something just occurred to me… Aren't we doing the same thing as KID?"

Hakuba frowned in annoyance at the mere thought like that "What are you babbling about..? We're not-"

Heiji cut in. "I mean, he always steals and returns stuff, right?"

The shrunken detective rolled his eyes "Oh come on, we're doing it to catch those guys, it's not the same."

Saguru sighed at that "Well, but we still don't know why he is doing what he does. But I can't say that this makes me feel any better…"

The Osakan snorted "You didn't have to agree on coming…"

Shinichi wanted to bang his head against the ventilation wall, but that would've been too loud "Guys… Come on, don't start now… It is really not the best time…"

They waited a while longer, until Hakuba's watch informed them that it was 10:15 PM. They waited a guard pass their exit and went around the corner and when he did, Conan silently opened the ventilation shaft. One screw slipped from his fingers and fell down, causing the boys to freeze and listen if the sound alarmed anybody, but it didn't seem that way. With a relieved sigh, they opened the shaft and got out. They ran through the corridor, knowing that they had little time before the strolling guard returned. They heard a laugh from a room not far away and noticed a plate informing them that it was the security room. Conan slightly opened the door and shot a dart at a fat guard, who was busy with watching a movie on a laptop, instead of focusing on the monitors. It hit him without fail and the man fell asleep fast. They hastily entered the room and started searching for the right CDs, when suddenly they heard the door behind them creak.

"My, my~… Now, why nobody told me we're going to play changing roles? Should I start chasing the three new kaitous now? Might be fun~…" Asked an amused voice, they all knew too well

They turned around to see a grinning Kudo Shinichi leaning on the doorframe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Isn't this a funny turn of events? :D
> 
> I hope you guys will forgive me this cliffy but I just couldn't help myself xD
> 
> Side note: As for FBI – I was first wondering if I should put everything in the background on hiatus, but figured that SOMETHING should have been going on there xD But as for undercover agents in BO I left them all still alive and working (only as for Bourbon Shinichi knows for sure that he is also an agent). Akai Shuichi is still living in Kudo manor as Okia Subaru and Haibara still doesn't know who he is.
> 
> See you next chapter *wicked grin*


	20. Blending with the shadows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story.  
> This chapter I will present the unexpected encounter with the kaitou, who is getting rather impatient with his detectives…  
> So without further delay…  
>  Please enjoy and review! :)

"KID! What are you doing here?!" Conan hissed, trying to cover the shelf behind him with his small body.

"Aw... we're not going to play chase then? And I was so looking forward to it... I even dressed up for the occasion~! You're no fun, Kaitou-kun..." The thief grumbled with an amused smirk.

Heiji stepped in front of his friend, blocking path for the newcomer. "Don't even think about interfering..." He growled warningly, wondering how he could stop the teen before him.

"Interfere~? Oh, I can assure you, Kaitou-han, that it was not my intention. As this little heist is not connected to me in any way, I came only to observe and have some fun~..." He finished, upholding his smirk, but leaving his voice hanging.

Shinichi returned to his search, as they didn't have a lot of time.

Saguru narrowed his eyes at the thief. "But..? And I must inform you this is not a heist so you could stop-"

KID rolled his eyes and waved off the matter "Yes, of course... Whatever makes you feel comfortable on your first... job, Kaitou-san~" He teased with a chuckle and turned his attention to his nails, continuing with a light tone. "Well, I didn't even intend to show myself, worried it might upset you boys, but two tiny details caught my attention and I couldn't refrain myself from wanting to ask about them..."

Both teens frowned at that, wondering if he was just messing with them, trying to distract them, or if they really did miss something.

Not wasting time Hattori voiced their thoughts. "What are you talking about?"

KID grinned cheerfully and spoke with light tone. "Oh nothing much, just details, Kaitou-han, really. Like the fact your features are so characteristic and yet you aren’t wearing any masks, while being recorded~ Or the other tiny thing about the strolling guard... Just a side note – it seems that he is lazy and tends to cut his routes significantly~"

As he spoke, the color from the teens' faces faded. Hakuba turned his gaze to the monitors, while Heiji started looking around the room they were in.

"I don't see any-" The Osakan cut himself off, noticing a faint red blink in the cover of the ceiling.

Saguru didn't seem to notice it. "I don't see any monitor showing this room, but I can't find the other guard either." He turned to the thief, who was still leaning on the doorframe. "Do you know when he will be here?"

"I'd say he should be already here..." He made a slight pause to hold the tension. "And he probably would, if I hadn't intercepted him earlier. I hope you don't mind this interference~?"

The Brit closed his eyes briefly to exhale with relief. "No, we don't mind. Actually thank you.” None of the detectives noticed a brief change in the thief’s smile to a genuine one, before it turned back into his mocking smirk. “And as for the came-"

"Found it..." Hattori cut in grimly, pointing at the device in the corner with blinking LED light. "Seems it's turned on..." He turned his annoyed stare at KID. "And you, knowing that, came in with Kudo's face."

The thief chuckled. "Well, I figured it would be only natural to add another detective to your bunch~ But I don't think you boys need to worry about the record too much~ I believe you can figure out a lie that would be good enough, or, if that failed, use your connections to get away with it, without damaging your reputations... much~"

Hakuba clenched his teeth, grimacing. What KID just said was probably partially truth, but still, any rumor of an act like that would hurt their future careers. Also, they did this to avoid attention and working to clear themselves wouldn’t help that…

Hattori winced and spoke with an abashed tone. "Could you... You know, take care of it for us?"

KID crooked his head, raising an eyebrow. "Are you asking your senpai to lend you a hand and clean up after you?" He sighed theatrically, inwardly enjoying the mixture of annoyance and abashment in gazes from both teens "Well, that is a problem... you see, kaitous are terribly territorial creatures and by nature I dislike helping other thieves with their... events. But on other hand I do like you guys, so I probably could make this one exception..." He pat his chin with a finger in theatric reflection, noticing Conan was only looking through the shelf, probably double checking. ‘And not a moment too soon’, he thought to himself and stopped his act. "You finished Kaitou-kun?" He pushed himself from the doorframe as he received a reluctant nod in return "Good. I will lend you a hand this time... Since you asked me so nicely~” He winked at Hattori and turned back his serious attention to the not-child “Show me the disks."

The boy shot him a wary look "I'm not giving you those."

This time none of the detectives missed the glint of anger and hurt in his eyes "Then you want me to leave? If I had any intention to take them, I wouldn't have asked. But if you want my help, I don’t not settle with anything less than covering the whole fact that anybody was here, so I need to see what you're taking. We have little time, so either do as I ask, or deal with it yourself." He stated hastily with a firm voice, lacking the previous signs of amusement.

Conan grimaced with displeasure, but unable to argue with it. With only a slight hesitation, he decided to comply with the order. The two teens let the thief pass. KID spared only a glance at the CDs before handing them and the paper envelops back.

"You wouldn't want them more damaged." He murmured to the boy, taking out blank disks from an inner pocket and opening a drawer in search of a pen.

The boy narrowed his eyes at the offered CDs. “I hope they are the ones we came-“

KID grimaced with annoyance, already busy with signing the blank discs and cut in harshly, without pausing with his work. “That I do not know, but if they aren’t, it is not by my fault.” He shot them a look after a few seconds "You can leave now. Go right and take the second turn to the left. I'll be right behind you to let you out."

Hakuba narrowed his eyes and spoke with firm voice "We're not-"

"Yes you are.” He cut in hastily, turning to Saguru and meeting his gaze with a strong look. “Despite this little event now, you are still detectives and I have no intention of showing you how I work in the background. So go before those two wake up."

Hattori and Kudo were already at the door, as the Brit lowered his gaze. "You're right. I'm sorry and thank you..." He said and followed his fellow detectives.

They left the room with KID placing the discs back on the shelf. They noticed a sleeping guard in the corridor, not that far from the room they were in. Soon they reached a door secured with a chain and padlock. When they reached that place, Shinichi took out the envelopes given to him and looked through them. As he didn’t find anything suspicious about them, he started putting the precious CDs inside.

Before he finished, the kaitou, now dressed in black clothes, with a cap shading his face, caught up with them. His Poker Face was back firmly, not letting out anything besides his smirk. He opened the door so fast, like they weren’t locked at all, letting the detectives out and followed them, closing behind him. They heard a quiet cling of a chain inside and were sure that it was back in its place, securing the door. Curious, they wanted to investigate how he did it, but KID didn't let them, rushing to leave. When they reached the street, his posture turned into more relaxed, indicating he was just out on a stroll. After a short while, when there was nobody else in sight he stopped and turned to them.

"Well then gentlemen..." KID stepped in an entrance of an alley, touching the peak of his cap. "It's been a lovely evening, but now I'll be taking my leave~"

Hakuba cleared his throat and bowed his head, speaking with abashed voice. "Thank you for helping us out. This could have turned out unpleasant..."

"My pleasure, Tantei-san." He chuckled and grinned. "Although I would advise you to leave kaitou business to professionals in the future~"

Conan narrowed his eyes in annoyance, but smirked at those words. "Can't say you've done an amazing job acting as a detective either."

The thief snorted with slight amusement. "Well excuse me. But I do believe I did manage to find the culprit before you, Meitantei~"

Shinichi grinned. "Doesn't matter if you can't prove it."

The kaitou smirked in return, not showing the raising irritation he was feeling. "Details.” He spread his arms in a helpless gesture. “There are too many critics in the world anyway, and it would be a waste if an artist like me turned into one."

"Well, at least you are better than Kogoro-ojisan." The boy chuckled, admitting.

Kaito twitched inwardly. "I find it insulting to compare me to Baka-Tantei... Chibi-Tantei~"

Heiji laughed hearing KID's annoyed tone. "Now no need to get offended, Kuroba-kun~"

The thief crooked his head, turning his attention to Hattori. "I understand I should now expect this to become my new, permanent nickname from you Tantei-han?"

The Osakan shot him a deadpan expression. "Oh come on, this is getting so old now. Plus this time you disappeared from us as Kuroba, right before you showed up before Kudo as KID, so cut the crap already..."

Hakuba just rolled his eyes hearing that. He had more than enough of his share of having his deductions disproved to know what was going to happen now.

The kaitou sighed. "As I previously said, you may believe what you wish, as the only way of proving you're wrong would be to unmask myself, which I do not intend to do. But do please keep in mind that your friend was most probably not the only person who disappeared from his or her acquaintances’ sight right before I came with a visit~ This is hardly any evidence~"

Hattori growled at him, feeling more and more annoyed "So what? You're saying you're not admitting anything, no matter what we do until we catch you and rip off all your masks?"

KID flashed a wicked grin, picking up the challenge. "That would be precise~"

The Osakan tightened his fists and looked like he wanted to tackle the other teen right now, but Conan stepped in between them "Please stop, Hattori." He asked, looking at his friend and turned his attention to the kaitou. "Mind telling us why you were there to help us this time? Not that we didn't appreciate it, but I doubt it was a coincidence this time. Unless you spend your nights seeking out thieves to laugh at?" He added with a tease.

KID chuckled at it, flashing his teeth briefly again. "An amusing idea Tantei-kun~ I might consider it~ But do you really need me to tell you the reason~?" He asked with a mocking tone.

Hakuba raised an eyebrow at that. "You want us to make assumptions?"

He chuckled grimly. "You do that all the time anyway Tantei-san, doesn't matter what I do or say. So don't mind me and feel free~" Fortunately he managed to keep the sad tone out and fully cover it with a mock.

Shinichi hummed and crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing the teen carefully as he started laying out his deductions. "You know enough about those guys to be wary of them, that’s why you tried to protect us from being spotted and crossing our paths with theirs. For that reason you wanted to get to the discs before us, but we beat you to it. In return for my help with your disguise and not selling you out earlier today, you decided to lend us a hand and not steal the CDs from us. Am I right?"

KID smirked, not showing any emotions, keeping up his mocking tone. "See~? I knew you already had your opinion on the matter Tantei-kun~"

Conan winced at how the thief dodged the answer. "Am I at least right to assume that you won't be getting in our way regarding this case?"

The thief's expression turned serious. "It is never my intention to hinder the law enforces in their pursuit after other criminals. I’d say it's rather the opposite, if I do decide to get involved. But heed my warning and forget about this case. I enjoy seeing you boys at my events and would miss you if something happened to you. It is not something you can solve with just your wits. Many better equipped tried and failed, permanently." He tipped his cap and turned around, shooting a glance at the detectives behind him. "Oh and by the way... Remember to count the cameras next time to know how many discs you're looking for. You missed one. But I wouldn't recommend returning for it~" He grinned and vanished in a puff of smoke.

Hearing his words made Shinichi gasp and now he was coughing because of the inhaled smoke.

“What’s wrong with this bastard?!” Heiji growled, looking around and not seeing the thief anymore. “That’s it! I’m going to give him a piece of my mind!”

Hakuba huffed, stepping in front of the Osakan. “And what do you expect to achieve doing that Hattori-kun?”

“Shouldn’t it be obvious?” The Osakan hissed. “I’m gonna end this stupid charade and get the missing disc in the process.”

The Brit sighed and spoke calmly. “How? You should know better than that, he won’t admit anything no matter what you say or do. If you lose it, you’ll just be playing into his hand. All you can achieve is prove that he should avoid you.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, being understanding doesn’t work with him!”

Conan grimaced. “He’s right, Hattori… And you have to admit that Kuroba-kun did help us today twice. ” He sighed “Also… Even if he didn’t appear, we still wouldn’t have that CD and we probably wouldn’t even know it. It was my bad anyway to not add to the pool the camera from the security room… Best if we just go and see what we have on the discs we have. Who knows, we might not even need the one we’re missing.”

Heiji tightened his fists, slowly dropping his anger. “But he…”

“He said that just to anger us. You know he’s been trying to make us give up on him for this whole time, so it's not really that surprising.” Saguru explained calmly with a sympathetic smile, as they started walking in the direction of his mansion. “But he didn’t do anything to hinder Kudo-kun’s search back there. Despite that he seemed upset from the start, possibly more than you are now. It became obvious when Kudo-kun didn’t want to show him the CDs.”

Walking in silence Hattori huffed and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Shinichi spared his friend a glance and decided to leave him be for now, wondering about the situation himself. After a while Hakuba sighed in frustration.

“Too bad we still can’t count on any information from him. He made it obvious that he won’t be saying anything about these people, even as KID. Makes me wonder if he figured that they are the ones after him. Would definitely explain a lot. If only I knew the connection…” He grimaced in annoyance. “I still don’t understand why anybody wants him to keep on stealing…”

“For this we probably need to figure out what he is searching for and how to identify it.” Conan replied rubbing his chin “At the moment I have only two assumptions. Most probably it’s hard to recognize the correct gem and Kuroba-kun is one of few people actually able to do it on spot. He did already show his remarkable ability to distinguish fakes from originals with just a glance, when Jirokichi-ojisan tried to trick him with a fake ‘Purple Nail’, so it’s probable. The other possibility that I came up with is that somebody wants him to polish his skills and make him use it later.” He said grimly.

The Brit frowned “But Kuroba wouldn’t willingly…” He cut himself off, coming to frightening realization.

“That’s right.” Shinichi agreed and sighed. “Anyway, no point in dwelling on it without more information. For all we know, there might be a simpler explanation. Let’s focus now on what we have at hand.” He said with a small smile.

Hakuba gave a nod, although he was visibly still worrying about his classmate. “I’ll stay at home tomorrow to help you with the records. Will be easier to acquire the copy of the disc from the police faster this way.”

"Thanks." Shinichi replied, briefly turning to the Brit and taking out one disc "I do hope we'll find something..."

They walked quietly the rest of the way. All three stayed for the night at Hakuba's. Officially Conan was staying with Agasa and Hattori left for Osaka, silently praying that Kazuha wouldn't call Ran anytime soon.

\--

This time Kaito didn't hang around to eavesdrop on his detectives. After the whole day of keeping his guard up and enduring everything what she came up with, he just wanted to go to sleep. With a flick of his wrist he took out the missing CD. He idly wondered about what was on it. There was 1/13 chance that this one contained some valuable information and considering his luck, the odds were good. He wanted to investigate those guys himself. He wasn't sure how secretive his detectives were and the more Kaito knew about the Organization the more overwhelmed he felt about them. It was like a maze of connections and even an attempt to place a hook in it was dangerous. That’s why he did not want the trio to sniff around them.

Kaito sighed and with another flick of his wrist, he hid the disc. He would probably need to see the other twelve records, but he could get to that later, especially since he had other matters to deal with. And considering Hakuba’s habit of collecting everything, he didn’t expect a lot of trouble with that.

He did consider interfering and not letting them get the records at all - he could have dressed as the other guard and scare the crap out of them (and it would be a wonderful payback for all the times they messed up his plans~). But he really wasn't in the mood to fool around and he would have a lot more cleaning up afterwards to conceal their presence there, and he would risk getting detected by the shrimp... Seriously Meitantei sometimes acted like a freaky radar. Of course he could have just taken the discs from them and with a bit of luck, he could achieve it without even being spotted, but... It seemed that they knew what they were dealing with. And that meant, that as much as he wanted to protect them, it wasn't Kaito's place to prohibit it to them. That’s why he decided to leave it to luck and the truth was that they did beat him to the security room…

So why not just give them the last disc also? Because if he gave them this, then not only he would probably give them a valuable lead, he would also make them feel more grateful and attached to him. Just like he needed them to be hanging around him any more... It was frustrating how attached he grew to those danger magnets. Truth was that he cared for them, more than he was willing to admit. He didn't want to lose them and for that he decided that he needed to keep their distance.

He returned home through a secret passage and left the CD in the KID room, before heading up the stairs. He didn't want to act before anyone else today, so he just slipped into his bed without seeing his mother, turning away from Hattori’s cap laying on his desk, which he was going to pass to Hakuba on the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now… Is the thing going on in Kaito’s head a good or a bad sign..? What do you think? ;)
> 
> See you next chapter *wicked grin*


	21. Whimpers in a maze

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story.
> 
> As for the contents, I do think it is high time to take a peek at what the records hold~Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story.
> 
> As for the contents, I do think it is high time to take a peek at what the records hold~
> 
> So without further delay…
> 
> Please enjoy and review! :)

In Hattori's humble opinion Hakuba had many flaws besides being a time-obsessed, rigid maniac. Another thing that he discovered lately was that he was also a morning person, fortunately though polite enough not to press his habits on others. Usually. This time Conan incautiously mentioned he wanted to get to reviewing the records as fast as he could. And Heiji nodded to that. He was cursing himself for that single gesture right now, drinking his coffee and wondering what was so bad in actually taking as much sleep as they needed. He understood his friend's impatience, but it wasn't like the discs couldn't wait another hour or so…

Next to him, Shinichi made an indistinct grumble. He was glad he got to get up so soon and was looking forward to watching the records, which hopefully would lead to finding some leads. But the truth was that the anticipation made it hard for him to sleep and now he wasn't sure if he wasn't sleepier than he was at night, when they managed to reach Hakuba's manor. He wanted to start watching immediately when they passed the threshold, but both teens forbade him and convinced that he would most likely oversee some clues in the state he was in. He took a sip of coffee and hummed, pleased, cheering for the little blessings. At the beginning of their relationship, Hakuba was very reluctant towards Kudo's addiction to this beverage, but was polite enough not to voice his concerns and soon became used to it.

Truth be told, Saguru haven't slept enough either, but he was used to getting up early, so despite that he woke by himself anyway. Fortunately, after chasing Kuroba for such a long time, he could deal with lack of sleep just fine, at least as long as it wasn't for too many successive days. He took a sip of his tea, idly wondering if it really was such a good idea to wake up the other two. They clearly weren't dealing well with the amount of sleep they had. But they did ask him to wake them up and didn't try to get back to bed after he did, so he wasn't going to argue with their decisions. No matter how appealing it seemed while watching their uncoordinated movements.

* * *

After finishing the breakfast, the two looked slightly more awake and all three went to Saguru's room to review the records. After they got there, they discussed whether it wouldn't be a good idea to have one of them watch over the mall, in case something more was to happen there, but eventually decided against it. There was no guarantee that it would bear any fruit and could possibly pull some attention onto them. Plus they wanted to get through the records as fast as possible and simply didn't have enough men-power to focus on too many goals. They had a total of 11 discs at the moment, so to speed things up they decided to divide them between themselves, hoping that the last CD would be delivered before they finished. Not sure when Gin entered the mall, or when he left they decided to first briefly check the contents of them to find the ones that gave a view of the four entrances, so next they could check in which hours he or they (since Conan was sure the pale haired murderer would be accompanied by Vodka) were present there. They wrote down which CD correlated to which area. Fortunately all four entrances were recorded on the discs they possessed, so it was still unknown which KID had - they could try and draw a rough sketch of the mall, but decided that it would be better to return there later and check it out. Meanwhile they decided to view the entrances' records for the time covering two and a half hour before the theft case and only half an hour after. Shinichi was fairly sure KID somehow knew when the Organization member left the area, so his departure should collide with theirs. Adding the time of the theft case, they had nearly four hours of record to watch through. They would extend the time only if they would miss Gin's arrival and departure.

Focused on their assignments, they were silently watching their records when Hakuba suddenly stopped his and spoke, with his eyebrow raised.

"Is that him?" He cleared his throat and turned to Shinichi, who was looking at his monitor. "I recall you said they are a secret Organization..." He pointed out, looking again at the man dressed in a long, black coat and hat on a sunny day.

Conan laughed dryly. "Well, I did say also that those two are characteristic. And yeah, that's him." He added more seriously, with eyes flicking in the crowd in search for Vodka. "I wonder where the other is..."

"Maybe he was busy with something else and didn't come this time?" Heiji suggested with a shrug.

"Or he came earlier..." Conan added with a grimace, unable to imagine Gin working as an errands boy.

"Well, considering we cannot be sure of it, it's best try to spot him later. Even if he came early, he had to leave. So I suggest to note this time... 2:47:07 PM as the start for other records for now." Saguru suggested already noting the time down "It could have been much like Hattori-kun said, or he could have been on a look-out outside the building, so it will be unlikely for us to notice him."

"True..." Reluctantly Conan agreed, promising himself to watch the full versions of all 12 records later anyway, to make sure they didn't miss anything.

Hattori grimaced, returning to his record. "I wonder why he came so early anyway. Nearly three and a half hours is a whole lot of time and the guy is pulling attention to himself, dressed like that and all..."

"We should consider that he could take off the coat at some point, so don't expect that looking for him." The boy warned him, already watching his video. "And he could have left and returned in the meantime."

"Yeah, yeah I know..." The Osakan mumbled.

The silence fell again on the room, only to be disturbed by Hattori's laugh over 1,5h later.

"Oi, I spotted KID~ He came in already dressed as you."

Both of the other detectives smirked at that. "Well, that was to be expected. Note the time anyway." Hakuba replied.

Heiji threw him an unimpressed glare as he did not need to be told. Conan just rolled his eyes, hoping they wouldn't start arguing again. He tried to focus on the thief's expression, but the quality wasn't good enough. If it wasn't for the characteristic hair style and clothes, he wouldn't be recognizable at all.

Later they noted Gin's departure 17 minutes before KID's. None of them noticed the Organization member exiting the mall in the meantime or another one entering it. Although they had one more entrance video to cover, so there still was a chance of finding something.

* * *

They were going through their second set of discs when Hakuba's phone buzzed, announcing an incoming call. Not to disturb his fellow detectives, he left the room to answer it. He returned a short while later with a thoughtful expression.

"It seems I have to go the station…" He explained.

"A case?" Kudo asked with slight interest, with eyes still focused on his monitor, hoping to watch as much as he could from this record before they would leave.

"You could call it that. KID sent another riddled notice."

"What?!" The shrunken detective paused what he was watching and turned to face the Brit, to make sure he wasn't joking (which was unlikely to begin with). "Bastard… must have done it to distract us from this…" He growled, grinding his teeth.

Hakuba raised an eyebrow and approached the closet to take out a jacket. "Well, it won't hinder us all that much. I don't think it would be advisable for you two to go with me, as officially neither of you is available. So you might as well stay here and continue. I'll come back as soon as I can and bring the missing disc with me."

Both Heiji and Conan looked at their fellow detective with surprise. "You're sure about that?" The boy asked, feeling grateful.

"Of course. I don't see any reason against it. I have nothing to hide here and I don't expect either of you to cause any trouble while I'm away. I think it is the best course of action." The Brit reasoned and looked at them with a worried frown. "Unless you won't feel comfortable with it? I am aware this is somewhat inhospitable for my part…"

Hattori laughed at that. "You're joking right?"

Shinichi threw a disapproving glare at him and turned to Hakuba with a relieved smile. "Not at all, it's very nice of you. Thanks."

Saguru nodded to that "Glad to hear it. Good luck then and take care." He said and turned to the door.

"See ya."

* * *

Both of them silently agreed to stay in the room their host left them in, to not abuse his surprising hospitality. They focused again on their records. Hattori somewhat envied his friend who, by chance drew a CD showing the inner corridor which he could fast-view and get over it faster. He was stuck with an exceptionally busy area and could not do that. Due to the poor quality, it was hard to distinguish anything even in normal speed, and a few times he had to rewind it to double check, when he saw any person with long, light hair. When he was in half way, he paused and leaned back in his chair with a growl. His eyes hurt and he was desperate for a distraction. After a short moment, he turned back to his monitor and in another window searched the internet for the heist notice Hakuba mentioned. It wouldn't ease his eyes, but he figured it would be a nice change. Noticing his friend finished with his record, he read the riddle out loud.

" _*The evening nightingale's song fills the night_  
 _For one last time, before it fades into mere memory._  
 _The adventure twists when the magpie visits the show,_  
 _And with the heart, escapes from the falcons' reach.*_ "

Shinichi raised an eyebrow and turned his attention to his friend's monitor, pushing himself closer to read it himself once again. Silently, they both went through it a couple of times.

"Quite the flock he's got there. I guess that the magpie is him? Does suit his personality." Heiji chuckled.

"It does, doesn't it? He didn't use that reference that in the past, but I guess, by falcons he could mean the police. As they are birds of prey and the police chases criminals, so it could match…" Conan frowned, looking at the screen "But why mention them in the riddle anyway? It's obvious they will be there, since they always are, it's not anything significant that he escapes them…"

"Maybe it's a hint for the trick?" Hattori suggested "He usually does say in riddles the 'what', 'how' and 'when'. The target would be 'the heart', but if we take the third and last line as the trick then I don't see the when. Anything significant to 'nightingales'?" He asked, checking the internet for any information about those birds.

"They are migrating birds, but not in this season. Unless it is a notice for around August-September, when they fly away…" The boy pursed his lips "The only significant thing for nightingales is that they are known as exceptional singing birds…" He said slowly.

"And he does mention visiting a show… So what..? He'll hold a heist at somebody else's performance this time?"

Conan hummed, confirming, his eyes flicking on the site he was checking. "Yeah, that would seem so… Probably some kind of concert, soon…"

The Osakan also started searching "A concert with a jewel? Shouldn't be too many of those out there?"

The other detective snorted. "Considering that nearly everybody these days want to have KID as a guest of honor?" He asked dryly and Hattori merely chuckled at that.

It was true too. It appeared most of the singers performing in near future were holding onto some excessive jewelry. Heiji burst into laughter reading about one who decided to go out on stage in a dress fully encrusted with gems.

"Does she want KID to leave her naked on stage?"

Conan smirked. "Probably hopes to get abducted with the dress. Seriously… he's more of a celebrity now. Although after the fatal series his popularity fell somehow…" He added with his tone dropping the amused tones.

Hattori spared him a glance. "Don't worry, we nearly got him. And a few more of those gentle heists and the police will drop the idea of carrying sharp ammo with them."

The boy smiled at his friend and nodded to him, glad for his reassurance. They returned to the riddle, as none of the found concerts seemed to match it fully.

"Wait a minute... it says 'last time, before fades into mere memory'? That must mean that this will be the last time the singer performs, so he most probably means a goodbye concert. Does any of those we found cover an event like that?"

Heiji ran a glance through them and grimaced. "Yeah, one but it will be in two months. You think he announced that far?"

Conan sighed. "Well... can't really rule it out, but I doubt it. If it did, we would have to take into account nightingales' departure time as well. Maybe it's not a concert per se?"

"But still with music, eh?" Hattori finished his thought and they both wondered on it until the boy snapped his fingers.

"An opera!" He shouted with joy. "Or a theater play..." He mumbled his explanation while his fingers were tapping on the keyboard. "The riddle refers to KID showing during a show and an adventure, which could be pointing out a play with an actual plot. I think I heard about one that could match… Got it!" He cheered and turned his monitor to show the result to his friend.

Hattori hummed, reading the advertisement. "Tadari Chizo's grand finale in the play 'Winter Blossom', the one and only show this Friday, huh..? Seems they do have a jeweled necklace being in that play too, but it's called 'the Burning Flower' and it doesn't seem that the gem has a heart shape. Doesn't really fit the riddle..." He pointed out with a grimace.

"Not until you check out the plot of the play." Conan replied with a smirk. "The jewel is supposed to be carved from the feelings of the two main characters. It's their love, which is normally..."

"Symbolized by a heart." Heiji finished grinning at his friend. "That does sound right. How did you find it out so quickly? Can't see the plot written here anywhere..."

The boy chuckled. "Well, actually this particular opera caught my attention a few months ago. I was bored and I noticed they had their advertisement clearly made to get KID's attention, often referring to him in a mocking way and challenging him. People rarely go to the point of potentially irking him after the incident when a mall owner used his name to fake a heist, and KID actually knocked down a huge Christmas tree on the building in question. That's why those advertisements were somewhat surprising, but it gets better. It seems they started challenging him only after two months of normal advertisement and stopped a month later. It didn't lead me anywhere and I had a few hard cases, so eventually I forgot about it until now."

Hattori hummed and nodded his head, looking at the site with the opera again "And now it also seems that last week they changed the place they will be playing it at. Some unexpected problems, they say... You think it's Kuroba's doing?"

"Don't know... It would be strange for him to do it and as he was busy with the previous heist, I'd doubt it... But it is fishy, especially considering those advertisements earlier..." He hummed and his gaze absently moved to the clock in the corner of the monitor "Damn... we lost over one and a half hour for this..." He grimaced and threw an annoyed glare at his friend, while putting another disc in his computer he was supposed to check.

Hattori raised his hands in a surrendering gesture. "Hey, don't blame me. I didn't make you solve it with me." He turned to his monitor, grimacing at the video. "But I wonder… The thing around the opera, it sounds like a trap, don't you think?"

The boy sighed heavily. "It does, but I'm more than sure Kuroba-kun is aware of it as well. And despite that he decided to do the heist, so he has a plan."

"But didn't you say-"

Shinichi made a face and cut him off. "Hattori. We don't even know the situation around the heist. But I'm sure KID knows what he's doing. And we can deal with only one of these problems at a time. I decided to focus on this now." He tapped on the monitor. "Hopefully there will be enough time to figure out what is going on around the event later. But not now."

Heiji grimaced inwardly, seeing his friend on the verge of snapping, so he decided to change the topic slightly to loosen up the atmosphere "Right... think Hakuba solved the riddle already? We're still missing the trick part…"

Conan spared him a short glare, only briefly looking away from his screen. "You don't have to help me with this if you don't want to, you know."

"It's not that!" He claimed, annoyed with his friend assumptions. "I just thought that he probably won't be able to return until they get it right..."

The boy rolled his eyes. "Then give him a call already. You don't need my permission for it."

Heiji grimaced and got up, taking out his phone. He left the room to not annoy the shrunken detective more and dialed Saguru's number.

The Brit picked up fast and greeted him with a worried tone. _"Hattori-kun? Has something happened?"_

The Osakan chuckled. "Nah, all cool, don't fret. Just was wondering if you figured out the riddle yet?"

_"... The police are searching for a matching musical as we speak. But I am sure you already found the right one?"_

"You got that far, eh? It's not a musical, but an opera. 'Winter Blossom', this Friday, the target is a ruby, 'the Burning Flower'."

_"You're positive about it?"_ Hakuba asked with doubt.

"Yeah. In the play, the jewel represents the love of main characters and this opera is a farewell to the main singer. Sounds like a match, eh?"

_"Yes, it does. Thank you, do you maybe have an idea for the trick part? We only got that he is going to take part in the performance and alter it, with police assistance."_

"Sorry, we haven't really focused on this, so I can't give you anything more on it." Heiji wasn't going to admit that they didn't even get that far.

_"_ _That's alright. I think it will be enough for me to excuse myself anyway. I should be back soon in th-"_

"Hakuba?" Hattori cut in with serious voice before the Brit could disconnect and walked further away from the door. "You might notice there is something fishy about this. I might be wrong 'cause it's just a hunch but... don't point it out to the police just yet. I want to investigate it first."

Saguru went silent for a moment _."Alright... care to elaborate?"_

"When you get back. I should get back to the record. Kudo is kind of twitchy, so don't mention it with him around, ok? See ya."

_"Bye."_

Heiji pocketed his phone and returned to the room. He grimaced slightly, seeing his friend plastered to the monitor.

"So, they figured it would be a musical. Hakuba-kun promised to return soon now."

The boy growled with annoyance. "Hattori, stop… I want to focus on this if you please… KID's heist is less important at the moment…"

Heiji frowned, taken aback "What?"

Conan sighed, praying for patience. "Even if we didn't get to this heist, there will always be another and we can also nag Kuroba-kun without it, after we finish this. Heck, we might even need to, if we miss something essential from the videos. On the other hand, if we are late with this, we might not get another chance. So at the very least, stop interrupting me."

The Osakan raised his hands and spoke with a reassuring tone. "I get it Kudo, no need to get angry with me like that. It's just th-"

"Do you really get it?!" Conan snapped, turning to him with a hurt expression "You're not the one stuck in a child's body! This is a chance for me, Hattori, and I can't afford to lose it! So either stop fooling around and help me, or just get out of my sight!"

At first Heiji wanted to snap back at his friend, but seeing his expression made him stop and close his mouth. He sighed heavily and sat back at his place, turning on the record in silence. He spoke only after a few minutes.

"I do get it." He murmured, with eyes still focused on the monitor "I may not be able to fully imagine your situation, but I understand how hard it must be for you. I just want you to loosen up every now and then, or you might break."

"I know… But please... I can't afford that now. I'll rest later. There will be a lot of time without any leads to follow anyway…" The boy whispered back with a tired voice, adding after a few moments "Sorry…"

"No biggie." Heiji responded quietly with a small, warm smile.

* * *

A while later Hakuba returned. Intrigued by Hattori's words over the phone he looked into the opera more precisely and the sudden change of the location did catch his attention. He wanted to ask about it his fellow detectives, but he sensed the tense atmosphere as he entered the room, so he refrained himself from it. Especially after recalling Hattori's words about Kudo's nervousness. Despite his worry, he decided to comply with Heiji's request and speak with him later on. He cleared his throat, sitting himself before the free computer and turning it on.

"Found anything useful?"

Heiji sighed, taking the opportunity to stretch his back. "I did spot him a few times, from the looks of it, I'd say he was on a lookout… Not much to tell at this point, maybe later when we can trace his route."

"Nothing interesting in the corridor and haven't seen much of this one. You got the last disc?" Conan asked without turning from his monitor.

"Yes. I apologize for taking so long, unfortunately it was unavoidable. Thank you for your help with the location and target." Hakuba replied while searching for the moment in the record where he finished before his departure.

Hattori smirked. "Sure, anytime."

* * *

Unfortunately they didn't get to work for too long when Baaya came into the room and basically chased them out of the room, forcing them take a break for lunch. The smell of food, as they were walking down the stairs, reminded them that it has been over 8 hours since they last ate. Kudo didn't argue much, since he was grateful that he was able to work with the records here at all, but he would have preferred to eat while watching.

To not waste any time, when they sat at the table, Conan started drawing a rough layout plan of the mall on a piece of paper. When Baaya returned with Hakuba from the kitchen, she scolded the boy about taking work to the dining table. She warned them about a rule of not talking about any business during the meal in that household. When she left, Hattori quietly laughed about how strict she was, mockingly sympathizing with the Brit, who only smirked at that.

They were in a middle of a meal when they heard a bell at the door. Hakuba threw a puzzled look in that direction, but didn't get up and soon they heard Baaya answer it. They heard her talk for a while with somebody, before the door was closed again. Afterwards, she came to the dining room with a heap of papers and a cap in her hands. Conan's eyes widened as he recognized his friend's belonging and it seemed he wasn't the only one.

"Was it Kuroba?" Hakuba asked with a frown, it was obvious for the other two detectives that it wasn't the magician's habit to visit his absent classmate.

"Why yes, how did you know, Saguru-bocchama?" She asked with a perplexed expression.

Shinichi gasped, coming to a terrifying conclusion and dropping the cutlery. He dashed from the table, up the stairs and towards the room in which they recklessly left the valuable records unattended. All the CDs were there, but just the other day the kaitou skillfully prepared before their eyes fakes, so Kudo knew for certain that it didn't mean anything. Cursing under his breath, he checked the record he's been watching before the meal and it seemed it was the same. He took it out and placed another one in the computer. But how would he know, if it was from yesterday? KID could have snatched CDs recorded on some other day, so the switch wouldn't be obvious. Plus if he somehow figured which were the most valuable from the one they lacked, he could have taken only that. With his mind racing for a way to distinguish if he had the right video, he didn't notice the other detectives enter the room, until he heard Hattori's alarmed voice.

"Oi Kudo, what happened?"

"It's not like KID to do unnecessary stuff and he doesn't visit Hakuba after he's been absent from school." Without sparing a glance at his fellow detectives to confirm his assumption, he explained hastily, forgetting about the honorific. "This means he had another reason to show up now. And yesterday he said that he wasn't happy with us working on this case. That's why I doubt it's a coincidence he came while we were downstairs."

The Brit frowned. "But if you assume that he made a switch, why would he let us know he was here then? That doesn-"

"Because he mocks people!" Shinichi cut in angrily. "He enjoys showing you that he won the strife."

Heiji grimaced and tried to reason with him. "But Kudo, you said it yourself that he wouldn't steal it from us, so why-"

"He didn't confirm it. He also could have changed his mind, hell if I know! Heck, he didn't even directly say that he wouldn't hinder our investigation… Shit… How do I determine if it's the original..?" He muttered to himself.

"Young man!" The old woman, who only managed to hear the last sentence, gasped, hearing it. "What foul language, you should know better…"

"Baaya…" Hakuba gently interrupted her and smiled warmly. "Could you bring us desserts here?"

"But Bocchama…" She wanted to argue, but noticed his resolute eyes, so only sighed. "As you wish…"

"Thank you."

"Huh… So you actually can order her and not the other way around?" Hattori noticed quietly, smirking as he saw the housekeeper going away.

"Yes, but I prefer not to. She is more like family to me."

Heiji nodded, understanding the difficulties of the situation and turning his attention back to Conan, speaking with soothing voice. "Kudo… calm down, he had no reason to first help us and now steal those records. If he wanted us to follow a wrong lead, he wouldn't let us know he was here. You said it yourself that he helped you numerous times now. You know that he may be mischievous, but he's not a bad guy."

"Yeah? That's great. So maybe you can find a better reason to why he came by?" The boy retorted, with eyes still glued to the monitor to notice something that would help him determine what day it was.

The Osakan grimaced, but before he could respond, Saguru raised a hand and stopped him. "I think we should draw a sketch of the building. You said you noticed the guy walking around on the video? If we know the layout of the cameras, we should be able to foresee where he could have gone next and the time he got there. This way we should be able to determine most of the records."

They agreed on doing it that way. They managed to make a rough plan of the mall and after nearly two hours using this method, they were able to determine this way 9 out of 12 records. Two of the latter were from the corridors closed for the customers and one from before the toilets, which was most likely overlapped with the record KID had. Fortunately the last one was confirmed to be the original, by finding Conan's and the Detective Boys presence there on it, when he went inside to talk with the thief through the phone. Shinichi sighed in relief, hoping that the unwatched corridor record wasn't essential for the case. In the meantime, Hattori checked his cap and Hakuba the notes he received from Kuroba (which were makeshift homework) and neither of them found anything suspicious.

* * *

It was already past 10 PM when Hakuba finally finished his second record (which was the front entrance) and he was feeling rather tired. He noticed Kudo was nearing the end and Hattori in half of their third CD's. Due to Kuroba's interference, they were going slower than expected, but they should be able to easily finish it by the next day. He sighed and decided there wasn't much point in starting a new video. During their checkup, Baaya reminded him about a white-board his father had, so they brought it to Saguru's room to write down all the notes in one place. He now wrote down all his sightings of the man in the record he just finished and pondered over them all.

Gin did leave the building once for a short while, but besides that, it really did look like for now that he was just strolling for the whole time around the mall. Hakuba cursed once again the poor quality of the records that prevented them from noticing any details like his facial expression, so they couldn't tell if the man spotted anything he was looking for. The Brit wondered if any of the other four records held anything more useful. They would probably download all of the fragments with the man, hoping to notice anything significant, but it was bound to be hard as they had no idea what they were looking for. This was surely to going to be one of those long and frustrating cases. Worse was that they most probably had an unknown time limit.

Hakuba noticed Conan getting up from his computer to type down his sightings. The boy stepped back once he finished, to take a better look at the board.

"Noticed anything?" Shinichi asked with a tired voice.

"Nothing significant, I'm afraid. He did leave for a moment and came back after five minutes. Not sure what to make of it. And you?"

"Even less… He had a hamburger around 3 PM and that's it, besides strolling… The cameras are always too far from him to make out anything more." He sighed heavily and turned back to the computer "Right, so on to the last one…"

"Kudo-kun, why not call it a day? It is already late and you do look tired-"

"Hakuba-kun, please… not you too…" Conan cut in with a whine. "I need to get it done as soon as I can-"

"What you need is to rest every now and then." Heiji cut in with an annoyed tone, pausing his record and turning to the other two. "If it wasn't for the old lady, you wouldn't even eat anything. Plus the thing with KID got you agitated and now you're barely holding on." He pointed out with a grimace.

"Hattori, I already explained it to you that I don-"

"Oh yeah? And how much have you slept last night? If you don't sleep, you won't be able to figure it out anyway and all will be to waste."

Shinichi flinched with annoyance, but before he could snap back, Saguru placed a hand on his small shoulder. "He has a point. It is doubtful any of the other discs have something more significant than what we already saw, so we have to be able to figure out what we don't see. It is clear that in the state we are in, neither of us is currently able to do it. You are welcome to stay for as long as you need and I can promise you to wake you up in the morning again, so you can start early, with a fresh mind."

The boy didn't want to agree with them, but it was true he was weary and his eyes hurt from carefully watching the poor quality videos for most of the day. He rubbed his temples and sighed, admitting defeat. He was grateful that Heiji offered he would go to bed himself only after he finished with his third CD. Later Conan barely recalled walking to the guest room and getting on the bed, as he has fallen asleep nearly immediately.

* * *

After escorting their shrunken friend to the other room, Hakuba returned to Hattori and quietly closed the door behind himself. He sat beside the Osakan, who still had his eyes focused on the monitor.

"So what did you find out about the heist?" He asked quietly.

"Not much besides a few odd details. Couldn't really check anything out, but it does sound fishy…" He told the Brit about what Conan found out and about the last-moment change of the place of the play. He sighed as he finished. "The problem is Kudo doesn't even want to think about investigating it, before we finish this."

Hakuba hummed, propping up his chin. "You're right, it does sound suspicious… But I can hardly blame Kudo-kun for his decision." He added, grimacing.

"It's not like I am, but it won't do us any good if we can't figure this case out and Kuroba-kun falls into a trap. I was wondering if it was even him who sent the notice in the first place." Heiji added, shooting a questioning glance at the Brit.

"Well, after what you told me, I would probably too, but the riddle did suit his style. Overall the whole notice seemed genuine. We can't of course rule out the possibility, but it seems unlikely." He explained, while turning on the internet and starting to look for the previous advertisements of the opera.

"That's one good news. Any idea why he came by today? Didn't seem like he left any surprises…"

"No idea honestly… I would like to think that he did it out of worry, just to check up on me. But I doubt it. Maybe Aoko-kun made him go and he took the cap just to be done with it also?"

"Yeah, but in that case wouldn't she come with him?"

"Most probably yes, although she could have been simply busy with something…"

They chatted like that for a bit longer, until Heiji finished his record. In the meantime, Hakuba managed to find the previous advertisements and the news report about moving the opera to a different building. At first glance, the cases seemed unrelated and the only thing that linked them was KID. Without finding any answers to any of the cases, they both went to sleep, hoping that the next day and a good night sleep would bring some revelations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, I must apologize for the easiness of the riddle xD Unfortunately all I am capable of is to make it sound nice – and I like it so much, that I don't want to write 'there was a riddle and the solution is …', hope you liked it anyway ;)
> 
> And yes! We will have another heist, probably not the next chapter, because we still have to finish with the records ;) Honestly I thought I would manage to cover it in this chapter, but Kai-chan decided to show up and… you saw how it went ;)
> 
> See you next chapter *grins*


	22. A light in the tunnel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter I'll provide you a bit of insight into the mystery around the nearest heist and an idea of what might the last disc hold.

They started early on the next day again. Neither of the boys looked rested this time. Although Shinichi went first to sleep, he was tormented with nightmares, Heiji tossed in bed wondering about both cases and worrying when Kazuha will try to dwell on where he is, and Saguru stayed up for a few more hours to check out everything he could about the upcoming heist.

He discovered a very interesting detail, which clearly somebody wanted to conceal. In the suspicious advertisements an interesting person took part. Hakuba pondered about the familiar name that appeared there, so he checked a few post-heist reports. As he recalled, Furuhata Megumi practically owned her carrier to Kaitou KID, which bloomed after he made her shine at the 'Green Dream' heist. Afterwards she openly claimed that her dream man is the kaitou himself. It was highly doubtful she would want to take part in anything that might hurt him or lead to his arrest. On the other hand, thanks to her presence, Kuroba was more likely to get interested in the taunt. In that case either it wasn't a trap at all or Megumi was either tricked or blackmailed into taking part in it. Considering how fast this type of advertisement ended and how details of it were concealed, most likely it was the first case scenario. It would probably mean that they wanted to contact KID and managed to. The question was what made them so desperate? Although it was common to use the kaitou as a means of promotion, it still was risky to actually contact and possibly cooperate with him.

Despite how harmless he was, KID was an internationally wanted criminal. This made Hakuba again realize how lonely this whole masquerade must have been making his classmate and why was he so stubborn to hide his identity. With grim thoughts of what would have to happen in order to make Kuroba drop his guard, the Brit went to uneasy sleep.

* * *

They were going through their first records of the day, when suddenly the two teens heard Conan inhale loudly. They turned their attention to the boy, who was watching the record from around the toilets area, only to notice his monitor was full of disturbances. The shrunken detective rewound the damaged part back and forward. It seemed the whole thing had minor disturbances in it. The completely unreadable part was 2 minutes and 35 seconds long. Conan narrowed his eyes and continued watching, only to curse loudly a few minutes later, when he spotted Gin entering the restroom. As Shinichi predicted later on the record there was another major disturbance, meaning somebody's presence there was concealed completely.

"Shit! We need KID's disc…"

"Calm down Kudo." Hattori advised quietly, with his eyes flickering on the paused record. "It won't help us. That camera is away from this area and the quality is too poor. Unless this person is wearing something really characteristic, it won't help you at all. You'll be lucky if you can distinguish the gender, let alone any other details. And only if they haven't messed with that CD as well."

Conan shook his head, unwilling to accept the explanation. "But there is a chance it's undamaged and that they went closer to the camera, or in the direction to another, so we could…"

"Kudo-kun, I must agree with Hattori-kun." Saguru cut in calmly. "If they managed to disturb this camera, it is very doubtful they would make a mistake like that. Most probably the missing disc is also damaged and I highly doubt that Kuroba-"

"But you don't know it unless you check!" The boy snapped at him. "I can't and I won't let this possibility slip!"

"Alright…" Hakuba agreed easily, slightly confusing the raging boy, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Tell me then, how do you expect to convince Kuroba to give you the disc? I have no doubts that he hid it well. Seeing how paranoid he is, I would be surprised to find anything in his house that could be any proof of him being KID. So unless you manage to find and strip the right safe-house, you won't find it without his cooperation. I also doubt that it is possible to force him to do it, so you would need to verbally convince him."

Shinichi opened his mouth and closed it again, averting his gaze, with his mind racing around the possibilities. He knew the Brit was right, and Kuroba has already proven himself stubborn enough to simply act like he had no idea what they were talking about. The truth was that KID had no reason to cooperate with him in this. In the past, he did it only when lives were at stake. Maybe if Kudo explained him the situation..? But he had no idea how much the thief knew already and still wasn't certain if he wanted him to know everything, before they could fully trust him. He swallowed hard, taking into account what KID could do with such knowledge, only to discover that he had no idea. The only thing he could be certain of was that Kuroba most likely wouldn't do anything to endanger him since, like Hattori said, he wasn't a bad guy. But besides that?

After a few moments of silence, Hattori sighed. "Listen Kudo, I'd like to smack him in the head a few times myself, but that won't help us convince him. Also he made it clear that if we want anything from KID, we need to talk to him when he's playing dress-up. So you not only have to find a way to convince him, but also to reach him on a heist. But after how he acted last time and how suspicious this heist appears to be, I doubt he will come for a chat himself…"

The boy grimaced. "So that's it? You want me to drop this and focus on the heist?"

"And you've got a better idea? Sure, you can go to Kuroba-kun and keep nagging him, hoping he will give up. You'll most likely end up all tied up with duct tape, with your mouth shut. And that damn thing is just impossible to tear…" Heiji added with a grimace.

Hakuba was observing the two detectives quietly, before he spoke. "Kudo-kun, are you considering telling Kuroba your reasons?" Hattori shot the Brit a surprised gaze and moved it to the child, who looked away. Saguru sighed. "Well, you probably would make him sympathize with you this way. Of course, if he doesn't know it already. But I doubt it would make him give you the disc. Most likely it would be only more proof to him that he does need to protect you from them. He might want to help you, but rather by dealing with it himself. Do you want that?"

Shinichi grimaced, knowing he didn't have to answer that. He didn't want the magician anywhere near those guys, unless he would be able to be by his side and make sure KID wouldn't die in the process. Idly he wondered if that would ever be possible, even if they managed to befriend him. But that didn't matter now. He gasped when a sudden thought crossed his mind and hastily he rewound the record to the very beginning.

Hattori raised an eyebrow seeing that. "You got an idea?"

"Yeah." He answered calmly, with eyes focused on the screen. "Whoever tempered with the camera probably got caught on film."

"Alright. But what makes you think they did it on the same day? And I think they wouldn't leave any-"

Shinichi cut in again, but this time with calm voice. "It's worth a shot. In worst case scenario it'll be a waste of time, but there is a chance, right? Besides I doubt they would mess with the camera too early. Most likely it's some kind of jamming device placed somewhere around it, since only specific parts of the record are fully damaged. And the longer it was there, the bigger the chance somebody would notice it. They also had to dispose of it later on… " He mumbled his explanation, not concerned if they listened to it or not.

The two teens looked at each other and just sighed, letting it go. They simply sat back before their computers and returned to reviewing the records.

* * *

A few hours have passed and neither of the detectives managed to find anything significant. Heiji was feeling extremely annoyed by it and would rather prefer to look into the heist, but his pangs of guilt kept him from it. He knew it was important for Kudo and frankly speaking, he couldn't do anything more than to give him his support, even if it was a wasted effort. He finished watching the record with a heavy sigh. Obviously, he was first to get done with his task. He started downloading the images of Gin from his record when his phone rang. Surprised, he took it out from his pocket and noticed that it was Kazuha calling him. Holding back a grimace, he exited the room to talk with her.

He picked up with the phone away from his ear and mentally prepared himself to get his eardrums severely damaged. The girl did not disappoint him.

_"HEIJI! Where the heck are you, you ahou?!"_

"Do you have to shout like that, ahou?!" He snapped back at her. "I got caught up in a case, of course! What else did you think?!"

_"What kind of case? Did you forget about school? Where are you anyway? Ran said you already left to Osaka and I know you haven't reached home!"_

Heiji grimaced, not really expecting her to have discovered everything so fast. "Got caught up on my way there. I- um... it's important, you know." He spurt briefly, recalling Shinichi's excuses.

The girl turned silent for a moment. _"Why didn't you give us a call?"_ She asked suspiciously.

"Well... I didn't think it would take too long." He replied with a sigh.

_"Alright..."_ She answered quietly, clearly having something worrying her. _"Um... Heiji..?"_ She started, but cut herself off.

As she didn't continue, he decided to encourage her. "Hm? What?"

_"Um just... You know..."_

Hattori felt a twitch of annoyance. "What?"

_"Just come back alright?"_ She answered with irritated tone, trying to hide the worry in her voice. _"Don't go disappearing like Kudo-kun..."_ She added quietly.

Heiji pursed his lips, reminded about his friend who couldn't say the words he was going to right now. "What are you talking about, you ahou..." He scolded her softly. "I'll be back next week, no worries."

_"Promise?"_ She asked with hope.

"Yeah... I gotta go now, see ya."

_"Just remember to keep your promise, see ya."_

The Osakan disconnected the call and stayed in the corridor for couple more minutes, with his gaze on the phone. Again he felt the stung of remorse. Soon he would be going back home to reassure his family and friends that he was alright. And Kudo couldn't do more than call those who he cared about, slowly fading into oblivion like that. They had to find the solution to it fast, before Shinichi was no longer waited for. He pocketed his phone and returned to the room, to continue what he was doing before the interruption, wondering how they could convince KID to give them the last disc.

* * *

During lunch, Hakuba proposed to return to the mall later on and Hattori reluctantly agreed to it. Kudo honestly didn't want to go anywhere, but since he could watch the records at all thanks to Saguru's courtesy, he didn't want to argue with the Brit too much. So eventually he also agreed to go with the teens. He didn't expect to find there anything, but maybe seeing the scene again or simply taking a step back would make it click? Also probably letting his eyes rest from the monitor wasn't such a bad idea either...

It was already getting late when they reached the mall. It pleased them to confirm that their sketch of the insides and cameras' locations were roughly correct and didn't require a lot of altering. Unfortunately, much as predicted, they didn't notice anything suspicious around the cameras, or anywhere else for that matter. When they were alone, they did try to brainstorm about any ideas they had, but that didn't lead them to anything new either.

Although they didn't spend much time there, it was starting to get dark already when the detectives headed back from the mall. Neither of them spoke. Shinichi expected that they wanted him to let it go, but he couldn't. He still hoped there was something he could get from it. Anything that would give him hope to get at least one step closer to solving this whole mess. They were probably right, saying that even if he did get to see KID's disc, it wouldn't give him anything more either. But until he saw it, he couldn't be sure that this was the case. He bit his lip, wondering if it wouldn't be a good idea to acquire the disc from near the toilet covering the day before that. He didn't see anyone messing with the camera on the morning of the day they saw Gin, so maybe it was done earlier? He wouldn't be able to avoid getting caught on the record from inside the security room, but the quality of that record was also low and if he covered his hair and took off his glasses, he didn't look as recognizable as his fellow detectives.

Suddenly Hattori's voice interrupted his musings.

"Huh? Is that..?"

Conan gasped as he turned his gaze to where his friend was looking, and recognized the messy haired teen jugging under a street lamp on the park alley. It didn't seem he noticed them, at least he wasn't acting like he had. The boy felt his heartbeat fasten. In an instant, he forgot the talks he had with his fellow detectives, as they convinced him to leave the thief and his disc alone for now.

"Kuroba!" He roared after the jogging teen, who kept ignoring them. And that made Shinichi angry.

Hakuba apparently wanted to say something, but before any words left his lips, Conan leaned to his shoe, powering it up and released a soccer ball from his belt. With his usual battle cry, he kicked the ball in the direction of the unaware magician's head. Kaito fell over as it reached him and flatly bounced off him.

Hattori grimaced and closed an eye at the sight. "Ouch…" He commented, feeling slightly sorry for the other teen. But recalling everything he went through on Sunday eased it.

Hakuba gasped, shocked with what just happened. The other two did mention that Kudo had some gadgets to protect himself, but he never felt the need to pry into it and they didn't elaborate on the topic. And now it did seem that the ball flew a lot faster than it should. It probably had something to do with the sparks coming from the boy's shoe. Saguru looked back at his classmate, who wasn't moving and that made him worry. Shinichi and Heiji were already on their way there, so he joined them.

"Is he alright..?" He asked with worry.

"It didn't even hit him right. He's probably just fooling around…" The small boy muttered with a grimace, but inwardly he was glad his target didn't decide to run away.

Saguru raised his eyebrows and looked back at Kaito. It occurred to him that the angle the ball bounced off was odd. Still it was worrisome that the teen wasn't getting up.

As they approached him, Conan lightly nudged the teen's leg with his shoe. "Enough with the act, get up. We know you didn't get hit." He stated with an annoyed tone.

"I did…" Kaito grumbled back, and with a groan he raised his head at them "That settles it… You're hell's spawns sent here to torment poor, innocent me…" He moaned, laying his head back.

Heiji snorted. "Who would have though you're so delicate."

Kaito cracked his eyes open again and made a face at the Osakan. "You ever got hit with one of those? Don't laugh before you do… It shouldn't be legal…" He added, muttering to himself.

Conan rolled his eyes. "Oh come on. I didn't fully power it up and you did deflect it somehow. Stop making a scene. I thought you didn't like it when people are sorry for you?" He added with a smirk.

"Are you alright, Kuroba?" Hakuba asked with slight worry, ignoring the other two.

"Tsk… fine…"

The magician sat on the grass with a growl, rubbing his head. They noticed one earphone hanging loose from his collar, which most likely fell out after the hit and another, still in his ear. It might have been possible he honestly didn't hear them, if they were turned on before.

"So, what have you been up to here anyway?" Hattori asked curiously, eyeing the sitting teen.

Kaito shot him an annoyed look and got up, dusting off his pants. After a few pats, he spread his arms to make his tracksuit more visible.

"Make a wild guess "oh Great Detective of the West."" He mocked, clearly feeling better and added questioningly. "What could I have been doing, running around a park dressed in a tracksuit… What marvelous mystery!"

Heiji shot him a deadpan look, not amused with his mock in the slightest. "I didn't ask for your cover. I mean what you were really up to here."

Kuroba sighed and rolled his eyes. "Would you give it up with your theories about me? I doubt I could convince you, but this stalker probably can confirm that it is my habit to jog at least twice a day, if I can manage." He said with an annoyed tone, pointing at the Brit, who sighed.

"I already apologized for-"

The Osakan cut him off, still focused on the magician. "Oh yeah? And it's just a coincidence that it is so close to the mall?"

"It's Ekoda park and I happen to live in Ekoda! I don't know how far your conspiracy theories go, but I did not build the mall next to it! It's more puzzling what you are doing here. Shouldn't you be back at your village or something?"

Barely holding back his anger, Hattori hissed at him. "What did you just say?! I'm from Osaka, not some village!"

Unfazed, Kaito made a surprised face. "Oh really~? Sorry…. Your tick, rustic accent had me fooled there…"

Conan did try to get in between them and stop the fight, but he didn't manage before Heiji tackled the other. Hakuba just sighed, resigned, making a mental note not to mention anything bad about Hattori's accent or his hometown in the future.

Shinichi knew all too well why did Kuroba anger the Osakan, but he was not letting him distract them. Taking into account the small distance, he powered the shoe only slightly and released another ball. Saguru gasped noticing it, but the sphere was sent flying, before he could do anything else. The moment the boy's boot touched the ball, Kuroba grabbed Hattori's arms and tried to trip them both to the ground, but didn't manage as there wasn't enough time. In the end, the back of Osakan's head took the whole impact of the projectile this time. Kaito winced as he heard the ball bounce off.

Heiji's vision went dark for a few moments and he would have fallen over, if the magician wasn't holding him up. He yelled in pain and grabbed the back of his head.

"What the hell?!"

"Who's the delicate one now~?" Kuroba mocked, letting his arm go, when he made sure the other didn't need his support anymore.

"Kudo you-!" He growled, looking back with watery eyes at the boy.

Conan sighed and growled back. "I'm not in the mood to be dealing with that, Hattori!"

"Ouch... Somebody got with the wrong foot from his bed..." The magician commented with a snort.

"You should know well why I'm like this, so let's cut the crap and give me the last disc. I need it."

Kaito sighed. "You really have a funny way asking for favors, you know that? Anyway I have no-"

"Stop." Shinichi interrupted him harshly and huffed tiredly, trying to calm down. "Please, I'm really not in the mood for that."

"Alright, I have to admit, I'm getting bored with it myself." Hakuba raised an eyebrow, surprised with those words, but sighed after hearing the rest. "So let me do it real quick, ok~?" The magician added with a sly smirk and cleared his throat. "'I told you already that I'm not KID.' 'Do we really have to go through with this every single time?'" He asked with Conan's voice and shifted to Hakuba's. "'Kuroba... Would you please just stop this already?' 'Why don't you guys let it go and stop calling me a thief then?' 'Oi... give it a rest. It's old and boring already...'" He whined with Hattori's voice and accent while pointing at the surprised Osakan. "Oh yeah? It's rather you who's old~'"

There was a puff of smoke around the still dazed detective, followed by a groan of pain and shock that left his lips. He shouted at the magician the exact same words as he did nearly at the same time.

"Why me again, you ahou?!"

The clearing smoke uncovered the now grey-haired Osakan, with a crooked, half glued and also grey beard. The teen was holding down the chuckling magician by his hand.

Conan just facepalmed, he really was unwilling to deal with all this. "Are you done?"

Heiji reluctantly let Kuroba go, aware that his friend had one more projectile in his belt. Once freed, Kaito rubbed his wrist and shot the boy a glance.

He hummed, thinking about it. "Well... I guess so." He snickered, seeing Hattori struggle with the fake beard to tear it off completely.

Shinichi sighed in relief. "Good. Now please. I really need that disc. You can deliver it later if that would make you feel better, I don't care. Just please give it to me." He grimaced, seeing the teen roll his eyes, so he continued without letting him reply anything. "Please. You can ask me anything to do in return." He added, wondering how bad idea it was.

Kuroba raised an eyebrow, surprised with the outcome. He didn't expect the disc to contain something such valuable. "Anything?" He asked, letting some interest slip into his tone.

"Just name your price..."

"Oi Kudo... What are you-?"

"How about you three leaving me alone?" Kaito cut Heiji off with eyes still focused on the boy, who grimaced, considering the request.

Hakuba gasped. "You can't be serious-"

The magician sighed, surprised with the reaction he got from the boy, indicating he was considering the request. "Well, I have to admit that it is very tempting. Too bad I don't have what you're looking for."

"You don't?" Kudo gasped in shock. "But I was sure you took it..." Kaito just shrugged in response and the boy frowned. It was possible that the thief was simply lying to him. "How can I be sure you're saying the truth?"

Kuroba shot him an annoyed look and shrugged again. "I guess you can't. But what would I gain from lying?"

Conan narrowed his eyes, weighing the magician's possible motives. And it didn't make much sense. He could just want them to leave the topic alone, but he could also gain it by simply giving them the disc. If he wanted to hinder their investigation, he would have done something with the CDs they had, or not let them get those in the first place. Unless he knew beforehand that they wouldn't be able to proceed without his record. The question then was how much he knew before they stole the discs and if it was possible that he took the last one before they even reached the security room... Scratch that last one. KID was a master of disguise. He could have gone there anytime, dressed as anyone and take the valuable record. It wouldn't be too surprising if he was the one who messed with the disc Shinichi was working with this whole day.

He rubbed his temples, shoving away that last idea. That was too unlikely, unless KID was working for the Organization and it was long now since he ruled that out. More so, if he went into the security room to take the last record, there would be no point in messing with the other. He would either mess with or take both of them.

So that left Shinichi with the question of how much the teen before him knew about the Organization's business there. The detectives determined that it was most likely some type of a deal - probably very much like the one Kudo stumbled on that fateful night when he first encountered them. Considering the safety measures taken by them, the other side of the dealing party was most likely also somebody from the underground, but officially somebody clean, so the deal had to be made in an easily and commonly accessible area. The detectives didn't even consider it before, but Shinichi dismissed now the idea that KID could have known and be covering for the other party. So what was his goal and source of knowledge?

Eventually Kaito sighed, interrupting his train of thought. "Anyway, if that is all, I'll be on my way. And I hope nobody will try to shoot me with anything anymore." He added with a smirk.

"What? You're off to prepare for the opera?" Heiji asked with a grin, helpfully buying his friend some more time to think and hoping to learn something about the heist.

Unfazed, with only mild interest in his voice, the magician asked. "What opera?"

Hattori chuckled. "Oh don't give me that. We solved your- Oh sorry… I mean 'KID's' riddle."

"Did you now? And what did it say?" The magician asked with curiosity, not showing how interested he was in knowing how much they understood.

"Why don't you tell us first what his biggest fan understood from it~?" The Osakan proposed, deciding to play his game.

Kaito chuckled in return and displaying abashment, scratched the back of his head "Sorry, didn't really have the time to ponder over it~"

Hakuba sighed heavily, already tired with their beating around the bush. He was sure his classmate wouldn't tell them anything anyway on his own record. But he could try and provoke him to slip something. "Kuroba, you are aware this heist is a trap, right?" He asked with a serious voice.

The magician snorted, rolling his eyes. "Hate to break it to you, but every heist is a trap. KID-sama probably even intends to have them this way, since he's the one telling the police about each, allowing them to prepare."

Unfazed with his words, the Brit continued with his stoic voice. "I'm not talking about the police and you know it. A few months ago the opera management seemed desperate to get KID's attention. And it seems they reached their goal, since they stopped with their specific advertisements."

"Oh? So you're saying somebody had commercials directed at KID? Too bad I don't really have much time for television. Might have been amusing to watch. It must have been interesting if it fazes you that much."

Those words didn't convince Saguru at all. "So you say you didn't know? Interesting. Why do you suppose they stopped then?"

Kaito shrugged, with his face uninterested. "How would I know? Maybe they were just looking for more publicity and got it, or came to their senses and decided not to annoy KID-sama anymore, or just got bored with it. The possibilities are endless. Shouldn't you figure it out, rather than asking me?"

The detective grimaced slightly, but he guessed he could play that game, if there wasn't any other way. "Because you tend to have an interesting point of view on some cases. Especially considering the situation around KID." He sighed and added more to himself. "I surely do hope you are right about this and that Furuhata Megumi is not in any danger. But I guess we will have to look into her, just to be sure."

There was a brief pause and stillness on Kaito's side. It wouldn't mean much with anybody else, but Hakuba was sure that for KID it meant that he managed to surprise him and make him feel at least uncomfortable. So it was clear that he didn't want them to know about that actress's involvement.

"Well, you probably should. Better safe than sorry, right?" The magician replied lightly, with his Poker Face back in place. "Anyway, if that's all, I'll be on my way. Unlike some people, I have to get up in the morning to go to school tomorrow."

Rubbing his irritated skin after finally tearing the beard from his chin, Hattori grimaced, hearing this comment "First school and then your 'errands' huh?" He teased.

"Yeah, got a problem with that?"

Heiji smirked at that. "Nah, why would I?" He crossed his arms over his chest, deciding to continue his tease. "So? What are you so busy with everyday anyway that you don't even have time to figure out riddles from your idol?"

"Who knows... Maybe I'm a new addition to a secretive and murderous criminal organization?" He offered, wondering.

Conan shot him a shocked stare and Hattori just narrowed his eyes. "That's not funny dude..."

"Who said that it was supposed to be?" He asked with a wry grin.

Hakuba grimaced. "Could you be serious, Kuroba?"

Kaito let out an ominous chuckle. "Who said I'm not? See ya~" He added and started jogging away.

The detectives heard sounds of energetic music coming from his misplaced headphone, before he put it back into his ear. They stood there for a few moments, slightly disturbed by his words.

* * *

It was all wrong. Shinichi rubbed his nose bridge and looked after the teen jogging away. He figured that the lack of sleep and stress nagged too strongly on his paranoia. It wasn't just any guy. It was KID. The one who always jumps after him whenever he is falling and who tends to tag along, risking getting caught just to make sure others are safe. The boy smiled gently. Hakuba was right. That idiot is probably doing the same thing now - just trying hard to protect them while acting as the bad guy so they would finally leave him alone. Shinichi started to wonder why he was so desperate to shake the detectives off his tail. He kept giving them hints about his identity and didn't act like he was scared that they would turn him to the police. But if Shinichi would add to the equation what he just reminded himself of, it was possible that KID was in deep trouble and refused to drag the detectives down with him. That surely did sound like him...

"Hakuba-kun... so what did you discover about the heist?" He asked curiously, turning to his fellow detectives.

* * *

Did Tantei-kun really think he was working for guys like that? Kaito wondered, switching the music in his headphones back to the opera he's been listening to before, when he was sure the detectives were far enough. He didn't mean to say that honestly. He was just annoyed with the little imp's doubt and inquisitiveness, so he just let his mouth spurt out some nonsense. He never expected any of his detectives to actually consider it true, so the reaction of his favorite critic hurt him much more than he expected. It could also turn out to be troublesome now. The little guy could start investigating him even more, eager to find the non-existent connection. But he probably just had to deal with it when and if it came. He couldn't be bothered about it now, since he still had a lot to prepare for the upcoming heist. And everything had to be perfect.

He wondered if he should warn Megumi-chan that they might start asking her their precise questions, but decided against it. It would make her more nervous than she already was and unless the detectives brought it to the police, it was fine anyway. It wouldn't be such a problem if they figured that part out, and at least it would keep them occupied.


	23. The nightingale's heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter I bring you the promised heist, but before that we still have three days to review~

The last few days have been annoying for all of them. After they parted with Kuroba, they went back to Hakuba's manor, while the Brit told his fellow detectives what he found out about around the heist. It was somewhat confusing when they thought about it as whole. The most troublesome part was whether they could hint at what was going on or not to the police. They still had no idea what the goal was behind contacting KID through the advertisements and how they made him comply with any request they had. The kaitou wasn't someone willing to do what he was told to, so the possibility that this was the case here was highly worrying. And Kuroba's reactions didn't help at all – not that that was surprising… They doubted that he would even wince while having a gun at his temple. So to inspect it closer, they had to talk to the opera manager and Furuhata-san. But it was a very tricky thing to do. It was possible for them to somehow tag along with the police and try asking the manager some questions on the side, without having the officers overhear that, but it would be impossible for them to do the same with the actress. She was a celebrity after all, and as there wasn't any open case with connections to her, they had no means to approach her at all before the heist. So the question they had to answer was whether she was threatened and used as leverage against KID. If she wasn't, there was no need to involve the police, as it would only cause trouble for people who decided to contact the kaitou. They had no idea how far Kuroba was willing to go, if the threat was real. They doubted he would seek the police help – especially seeing how poorly they were doing with capturing him. It was most probable that he would try manipulating them to play into his hand and put everything right. In that case, the detectives' interference could ruin his whole plan and end up dangerously for everyone involved. But they weren't going to just sit around, doing nothing.

They had three days left and quite a lot of ground to cover. Their best solution was to divide the assignments between themselves again. And so Hakuba with the Task Force went to the opera building to try and take a first look around there and question everybody he could manage by himself. Hattori focused on research about both opera buildings and their surroundings to find any reason behind changing locations, and Kudo was to look into Furahata Megumi and Tadari Chinzo to find any oddity or suspicious chances in the two women's schedules that could indicate that something was going on around them. By himself, he decided to also spare a bit of time to give the last glance on Gin's images to try and find anything particular. But that plan was somewhat ruined by one phone call.

* * *

It was late afternoon and Conan was left alone in the manor when his phone started ringing. At first he was surprised to notice it was Ran, but then it struck him that he never told her that he would be away for so long. He remembered calling the school with the bowtie to announce he would be absent due to illness, but he only told his guardians on Sunday that he would be sleeping over at Agasa's. After it became clear he needed more time, he didn't even spare a thought over this issue. Wincing with fear and trying to fast find an excuse, he answered the call.

"Oh hi, Ran-neechan! Did something happen?" He asked innocently.

_"Conan-kun! Why aren't you coming back? I understand Hakase makes great games, but you shouldn't be bothering him for so long!"_

"But um... We're having a tournament with the Detective Boys! Please, Ran-neechan! I have to practice, so I can win! Agasa-hakase said it's alright and I don't bother him at all! Pleaseee! I want to win so badly, or Genta will keep on boasting for forever, saying that he is better when he's not!" He whined disgracefully and was glad there was nobody to witness it.

_"Um... I don't know... You didn't even give me a call and I hope you're not neglecting school because of it_ _._ _"_

"Of course not! And you know how good my grades are. I'm sorry for not calling in sooner. I just got caught up in this. So please don't be mad with me?"

She huffed, clearly having a hard time denying the boy to have a little fun with friends of his age. _"Alright. But under one condition - tell me when you'll be holding your tournament~ I'd like to cheer for you~"_

Conan felt all blood drain from his face, mind racing for a reason to not let the girl come and see through his lie. "Please don't. It'll make me nervous if there are too many people watching..."

_"Ohh... Come on, there's no need to be shy. Plus you owe it to me for making me so worried about you."_

"I er... I'm sorry for that... but um..."

_"What's the matter Conan-kun? You were never this shy. You're not trying to hide anything from me, are you?"_ She asked suspiciously.

"No, of course not! It will be this weekend. I'll give you a call when we decide on the time."

_"Alright~ Have fun with your practice~! And don't forget to call me!"_

"I won't! Bye, Ran-neechan!"

He disconnected the call and hurryingly dialed another number.

_"_ _Moshi moshi?"_

"Hakase, it's me. If Ran would ask you, tell her that I'm staying the whole week with you to train for a video game tournament, alright?"

_"_ _She already did call me yesterday."_ The elder man noted with an annoyed tone. _"Really Shinichi, you should tell me befor, if you decide to use me as an excuse. It was hard to convince her to not worry about you."_

Conan winced. "Sorry about that… I got too distracted by this case and forgot about everything else…" He explained apologetically.

_"_ _Meh, don't worry about it, Shinichi. I figured it would be something like that."_ He dismissed the matter with a light tone, like the forgiving grandfather Kudo always felt he was. _"Do you need any help with it?"_

The boy smiled warmly. "Not with this. I've got already Hakuba-kun and Hattori helping me. But I might need some help with my cover story. Do you mind if I invite the Detective Boys over for a video game tournament this weekend?"

_"_ _Not at all. Do you want me to pick a game for it?"_

"Yes please. Best pick some kind of soccer game… Ran thinks I'm practicing it this whole week, so I can't suck with the game too much… Anyway, is Haibara there?"

_"_ _I think I've heard Ai-kun entering the house some time ago… Give me a moment."_ Shinichi heard the inventor put the phone down and walk away, calling for the shrunken scientist.

Not long after somebody picked up the receiver. _"What is it Kudo-kun?"_ It was obvious from the annoyed tone, that for some reason the girl was not happy with him.

Shinichi held back a shiver and wondered what he did wrong to anger the women. "Hi Haibara, I need a favor…"

_"_ _I already gave you one. The kids wanted to visit the sick you, to make sure you're alright. It wasn't easy to make them drop the idea. Also, they are still looking forward to meeting Hakuba-niisan. Hope you haven't forgotten about that."_

He did… "I'll ask him if he has time this weekend…"

Haibara sighed. _"You're hopeless… So what is it about now? You're too occupied with that Magician in the Moonlight of yours?"_ She teased.

Conan twitched at that. He probably should be grateful to KID for making that riddle, so she didn't dwell on what kept the detective away, but somehow he wasn't. "Ha…ha… Very funny Haibara… Anyway, I need your help. Do you think you could get the kids to have a video game tournament this weekend?"

_"_ _That's gonna cost you, you know that, right?"_

"But you promised to help cover for me!"

_"_ _I promised to help you with your nee-chan."_ She reminded him and Shinichi could just imagine her grinning right now.

He sighed, defeated. "Alright… What do you want for it?"

_"_ _Well… if you insist to give me a present…"_ He gave a flat stare at the phone. _"I saw those lovely sandals at 'di Trevi' and I wouldn't mind having them."_

Conan rubbed his temple with his free hand, waving his savings goodbye. "Alright… I'll take you there next week."

_"_ _Deal. I'll call you when I've arrange everything. Good luck with catching your thief~"_

"… See ya…"

Shinichi disconnected the call and pocketed his phone, sighing heavily. This was so not his day, and worse was that he couldn't really blame it on anybody else than himself. But he still tried to charge it on KID and his riddle.

* * *

Hattori was investigating around the opera building that was originally supposed to hold the grand show, when he heard a scream. Without even thinking, he ran in that direction only to stumble on a dead body. He ordered an onlooker to call the police and asked everybody present to wait for them without disturbing the scene. He was about to take a closer look at the body, when it occurred to him that he told Kazuha he left Tokyo already! It would be suspicious if his help here would be noticed back in Osaka. Cursing under his breath, he took the phone from his pocket and dialed Hakuba.

Saguru picked up fast and spoke with slight impatience. _"Hattori-kun? It-"_

Heiji didn't let him finish and he cut him off with a highly annoyed tone. "I need you to come to the previous opera building. NOW!"

The Brit found himself taken aback. _"What happened Hattori-kun?"_

The Osakan huffed with annoyance and explained quietly. "Somebody died, possibly it's been a murder."

_"Alright... And you need me because... You can't figure it out?"_

Heiji made a flat stare only to recall that the Brit could not see him at the moment. "Ahou! Even if the unlikely possibility came into existence that I'd have a problem with a case, you'd be the last person on the planet who I'd ask for help!" He growled into the phone.

_"But you are calling now."_ Hakuba calmly pointed out, unfazed by his words.

"Because I'm not in Tokyo officially!" Hattori snapped and huffed, unwilling to continue. "I need you to cover for me when the reporters come."

_"Oh..."_

"So..? You're coming?"

Saguru sighed, unwilling to have a clash with the competitive teen, who he was slowly getting along with. _"I guess there is no avoiding it. I'll be on my way in a few minutes. Stay out of sight for the time being."_

"Yeah, yeah... just hurry up, will ya..?" Hattori mumbled, grimacing and huffed again. "And Hakuba-kun..?"

_"Yes?"_

"... Thanks..."

_"Don't mention it."_ He replied warmly, ending the call.

Sighing heavily, Hattori pocketed his phone and turned to the body to comprehend the whole scene around it and pick up the important details.

Several minutes later Heiji heard the police sirens drawing near and soon he saw inspectors Sato and Takagi getting out of the car. He didn't miss the slight grimace on the woman's face, but it didn't surprise him as he wasn't very popular around Tokyo Police. The man's face held the expression of genuine joy to see the teen, but that one was always like that. The Osakan smiled in return to both of them, approaching the couple to greet them.

"Nice to see you, Takagi-keiji and Sato-keiji."

"Likewise, Hattori-kun." Takagi answered earnestly.

"So what do you have here for us?" Sato asked after straightening from a bow.

Heiji's expression darkened a bit as he returned to business. "It looks like it's a murder... It was made to look like an accident, but I noticed a red line on the victim's throat. Seems it was made by some kind of wire."

She nodded in acknowledgement and turned her attention to the body. She was actually happy to have the assistance of one of the high school geniuses, but somehow Megure's opinion on the Osakan affected her as well. She didn't like that that the teen was too rash and she felt that it was better when cases in Tokyo were handled by Tokyo's detectives.

"Ano..." Heiji mumbled to get their attention again, while scratching his chin awkwardly. "Could not mention my participation in this case? I want to help, but I shouldn't be here at all, honestly speaking."

Takagi blinked at that and after sharing a look with his partner, gave a nod. "Sure. Is it something like with Kudo-kun? But I'm afraid there's not much we can do if the reporters show up. They shouldn't mention your name, as you are still a minor, but..."

The Osakan waved this concern off. "Don't worry about it. Hakuba-kun is on his way and should be able to distract those."

Wataru blinked in surprise. "You called Superintendent General Hakuba to come?!" He asked in utter shock and Heiji gave him a flat stare for it.

Sato just facepalmed and sighed. "I'm sure Hattori-kun meant the Superintendent's son, Hakuba Saguru-kun. You know, the high school detective from England that usually hangs around Division Two, the regular on the KID heists."

Takagi gave a sheepish laugh. "Oh, right... that does sound more reasonable..."

After having that cleared, they returned to the case at hand, the officers starting with gathering statements from the onlookers and potential culprits.

It took Hakuba precisely 31 minutes 26.04 seconds to reach the second opera building and join Hattori, after they ended the call. He didn't manage to question the manager, but the man agreed to meet with the young detective on the next day in the evening, so it wasn't as bad. Fortunately, out of sentiment, Baaya kept his old cape and a deerstalker in the trunk, so he could put them on to attract attention right on the spot.

Unfortunately before he managed to get there, the reporters starting gathering and Heiji had a rough time avoiding them. When Saguru came, Hattori threw him a disbelieving gaze, when he saw what the Brit was wearing. He had to struggle to not start laughing or screaming, but thanks to the seriousness of the case, he managed to get over it fast. Reluctantly, he filled in his fellow detective, while shielding his face with his cap.

"Got four people with a motive, three with means to actually do it. Still looking for the murder weapon, but I honestly doubt that the guy was killed by strangling with that wire. Not a poison either, at least not an obvious one. No external wounds that we could find, but we didn't really undress the guy, so can't rule out an injection. Seems that the poor geezer just dropped dead. I do have a few theories, but…" Heiji didn't have to finish for Saguru to understand that he didn't have anything to support his theories with.

Hakuba sighed, thinking about it and focusing his gaze on the now covered body. He wasn't that experienced with murderers. He did unravel a few, but that was back in England. In Japan, he focused on kidnappings, frauds, thefts and robberies (and with exception of KID's heists, he was successful with them). He had to shift his way of thinking back to the deadly serious matters.

"What about any lingering illness? Do you know if he took any medicine? Or maybe allergy?"

Heiji shook his head, still more busy with turning the case in his mind than on the conversation. "Nothing big. He had a cold and a runny nose, but that's all. Either those guys didn't know about, are concealing it for some reason, or the guy didn't have any serious problems. Up until now, that is…"

Although Hattori didn't show any amusement, Hakuba still shot him a flat glare for the joke. The Osakan didn't even notice it. The Brit sighed, unwilling to fight over it and turned his attention to the body instead. He looked under the sheet and hummed to himself.

"His left slipper is dirtier and damaged than the right one." He said out-loud when Hattori joined him.

"Yeah. And you'll notice that one of the trash cans back at the entrance to the alley is overturned and slightly bent in. And guess what? The bent spot is cleaner. Forensics need to confirm it, but my guess would be that this geezer was lifted and he kicked the bucket, fighting the culprit, who tried to make him faint. But he didn't die there. The line is more red than blue. He just fainted from it and died later. Probably here, but that's just a guess."

Saguru gave a nod, wondering about it and not finding any flaws in Heiji's deduction. "What about the motives?" He asked turning his gaze to the gathered people, and managed to cover the Osakan enough before a flash went off.

Hattori cleared his throat, also noticing the light and grateful for the cover. "I think we got that. You see the woman with long nails? It's the neighbor, the one that started screaming and lured me here in the first place. She hated the guy, or at least another neighbor claimed that. Some kind of an old quarrel, because the deceased used to play the lottery game with her and hit the jackpot on the same day he ditched her. It's said that she promised to kill him and so on. You know, the regular stuff."

"A rather convincing motive… But you don't think it was her?"

"Yeah, it is, but just look at her. One thing is that she is small, no idea how she would manage to hold her ground in a fight against that guy, or how would she carry him over here. But mostly her nails. Seems to me that she's obsessed with them, also no way she wouldn't get them damaged during the fight and I took a closer look. They are real. She wouldn't have the time to clean them or repair the damage."

"Alright. What about the big guy next to her then?" Hakuba shifted his gaze to the man in question and noticed how nervous he seemed and how he kept his hands stuffed deeply in his pockets.

"The dead guy was his mother's brother. Tends to be raging, or so they say, but doesn't have any criminal record. You know – the loud type, but not really dangerous apparently. But here's the kicker. He owns a security firm, seems that his uncle promised to help him some time ago, if it would start getting tough with it. And it did, but the geezer decided to back out on his word."

"So money? How cliché…" Saguru noted with a grimace, holding his gaze a bit longer on the nephew's socks, wondering idly why one of them was lowered significantly.

"It's so often true that you shouldn't worry about stuff like that."

"Point taken. What about the guy in the suit? Seems strong enough to be able to strangle a guy from behind." The blonde didn't miss how, concerning the situation, the man was unnaturally calm.

"Yeah, if he knew how it wouldn't be much of a problem for him." The Osakan said with a tone that made Hakuba sure the teen knew a couple of ways to do it and it was a grim though. "He's the ex-husband of the geezer's daughter. She died two years ago, but managed to get divorced shortly before that. Seems it was an accident. No idea if it's true. Anyway on the outside they didn't have any issues between them, neighbors even claim that they somewhat liked each other and the geezer was against the divorce. But the nephew claimed otherwise. Seems they were close because of some shady business and the guy here wanted to screw with the deceased. The guy himself squirmed somewhat, asked directly by Sato-keiji, so there is probably some truth in it."

Saguru hummed, wondering if it wouldn't be a good idea to look into the guy later even if he didn't turn out to be the culprit here. He turned his attention to the last person in question. "And another woman…"

"Yeah. But this one knows how to handle herself. Seems she's training judo, so you know – strangling and holding up a guy, even bigger than her wouldn't be a problem for her. Especially if the guy didn't know how to protect himself from it. And as far as I know, he didn't have any experience in martial arts."

"And her motive?"

"You'd never guess. Seems she was his lover. Pretty sure she was after his cash, but heck, who knows. Anyway, he ditched her and gently speaking she wasn't happy about it."

"A rejected lover… another cliché…"

"And a regular one around crime scenes…"

It took them another half an hour to find the most important evidence and place all the puzzles together. They didn't have any irrefutable proof, so they required the culprit's testimony. And that called for Saguru's deduction show. Honestly speaking, it disgusted Hattori, who felt additionally bad for having his input neglected and all the glory went to the Brit.

When the large male, who's been the nephew of the deceased man, stepped out again to complain about how long it was taking, Hakuba approached him with a smirk. "Worry not, I have already figured it all out. I shall explain now, if you just give me a moment." He cleared his throat and didn't miss how the man curled his shoulders. "The deceased was murdered when he went out to throw away his garbage. It was done by somebody who knew his habits and waited there for him. Also, the victim was a rather healthy and strong man and there were no drag marks from around the garbage cans to the place where the body was found. So the culprit must have been not only strong, but also tall. And the only person matching this description is you!" He said dramatically, pointing at the nephew.

The man took a step back, but regained his composure fast. "What? My size is no evidence! Sure I'm the tallest of the people present, but the real killer could have ran away long ago, because you guys were so slow!"

Hakuba chuckled grimly, as a part of his performance. "That is where you're wrong. Your size was actually the last piece of puzzle. The first evidence is this." He took out a large glove, found by Hattori in a trash can, packed now in an evidence bag. "I am sure that the forensics will find your pieces of DNA from bits of skin. By the way… I have noticed how you keep your hands in your pockets. Is there something wrong with them?" The nephew buried his hands deeper in his pockets, but before he could answer the detective mercilessly continued. "The second evidence is hidden in your left shoe. A wire."

The Brit spoke with such confidence that it caused the man to look down at his boot, only confirming the deduction. Officer Sato placed a hand on the culprits shoulder and grinned at him predatorily.

"So… care to show it now, or do we have to do it at the station..?" She asked teasingly.

"W-wait! How do you even know that my uncle was moved?!" He asked in distress, breathing fast.

Saguru smirked and pointed at the foot of the victim. "That was the easy part. There is some slime on his slipper. The amount seems to match the clear spot on a bent trash can. I believe the victim was lifted when you strangled him with the wire."

"I-I didn't kill him with the wire!" The huge man squirmed under the Brit's judging gaze.

"I know. You didn't plan to kill him. Or at least didn't get to that. You panicked and forgot your uncle had a cold. You covered his face by accident when you moved him. Because he was unconscious, he didn't fight for air, so there are no bruises left and you haven't probably even noticed that he died, before it was already too late." Hakuba replied sadly and took a deep breath. "Now tell us one last thing. Why did you do it?"

The man had tears in his eyes and he curled his arms, seeming smaller than he really was. "I didn't want to kill him. I never would. Honest! But-but I just needed the money! My firm was dying and that old geezer had so much. He promised me that he'd help! But when I needed it, he said that it was a stupid idea for me to even start the business! I just wanted to scare him, so he would believe that the security firm is a much needed thing! If he didn't help me, I would have to dismiss my workers, who are good people and don't deserve that."

"So how did this accident happen? Why did you move him?" Saguru asked helpfully, when he noticed the man was falling apart, without finishing his tale.

"Like you said… I panicked. I-I just wanted to move him, so I had time to think. H-he saw my face when I tried to make him faint. He reached back and took off my face mask. I didn't know what to do. But I never would have killed him!"

The Brit sighed heavily, wondering if he should give the fallen man the last blow, but figured that it was necessary for his retribution. "He didn't see your face."

The man looked at Hakuba in awe, but didn't respond. All off the others present kept silent, eager to hear the explanation to its bitter end.

"You were behind him and he was strangled enough already to have his vision limited too much. I doubt he would have recognized you in that state, even if you stood before him. From the back, there was no way for him at all…" He finished with a grim and sad voice.

The man collapsed, ruined by the detective's words and allowed the officers to guide him to the police car, without arguing. The few reporters gathered around Hakuba and asked their questions that the Brit answered as shortly as he could. Hattori in the meantime managed to slip away without attracting any attention to himself.

* * *

After Saguru managed to ditch the reporters, he picked up Heiji with his car. They decided to return to the manor, as there was too much commotion to quietly investigate the building and there was no point for Hakuba to return to the Task Force. Needless to say, Hattori was in foul mood.

"I get it you had to push the guy, but did you really have to make such a show of yourself?" Heiji grumbled, giving his fellow detective a flat look.

Hakuba raised an eyebrow. "Well I didn't have much choice, since you asked me to cover for you."

Hattori grimaced at that and turned his gaze away from the Brit. "Yeah... thanks. But seriously 'Why did you do it?'? I mean, come on, we already deduced that and he would have said it anyway, by that time."

Saguru sighed. "Well, I always found it fair to let the culprit explain himself from his own free will. Also I have to admit it used to be my catch phrase." He admitted reluctantly.

The Osakan gave him a doubtful look. "A catch phrase? Really..?"

The Brit shrugged at that, as it was a natural thing. "Yes. All famous detectives have one."

"Well, I don't."

Hakuba couldn't hold back a snicker "Just serves my point..."

"HEY!"

* * *

A victorious screech pierced the sky as the hawk managed to sink its claws in a piece of meat attached to the wire that Heiji spinned in the air. Conan absently watched it land on the ground and tear its target. It was already Thursday afternoon and they still had a lot of questions. After lunch, Hakuba announced that he was going to take care of his pet to briefly take his mind off the case, before he would go and see the manager. The other two hesitantly decided they could use a break themselves and went with the Brit. Watson did seem frustrated by the lack of attention he's been getting lately, and was forcing Saguru to keep his full attention on the bird and its dangerous claws and beak. After some tricks involving feeding and exercise, the hawk calmed down and the Brit offered his fellow detectives to handle it a bit. Shinichi spared only a glance at the bird's claws that were not much shorter than his whole fingers and decided against it, Heiji on the other hand was more than willing. They've spend around one and a half an hour like that and returned to their investigation with their minds refreshed with the activity. They have worked on the case till the last minute, before going to the heist with still a few questions unanswered.

* * *

The three detectives were allowed in the backstage to join Nakamori and a few officers from the KID Task Force. Finding the inspector wasn't very hard, as they only needed to follow his shouts. It appeared that he was arguing with the man Hakuba identified for them as Shinjo Takeshi - the opera manager.

"Do you actually want the necklace to be stolen?!" Roared the officer at the sweating, fat man.

"N-no! Why would you even think that inspector..?" Shinjo cried back.

"Then let us do our job our way!"

"Bu-but I cannot let you pull the faces of my actors! You'll ruin their make-up and I don't think they would be very pleased..!"

"But we know KID will mess with the show, so he is bound to disguise himself as one of your actors!"

"Well then, just keep an eye on them, so neither gets abducted..." The manager proposed.

"BUT KID COULD HAVE ALREADY DONE THIS!" Nakamori shouted, losing his temper.

The man backed out, clapping hand on his ears and taking on a scared expression. "B-b-but..."

"So why don't you just have us sing?" A soft, female voice cut the manager off and a woman stepped forward from the onlookers. "You cannot possibly believe KID-san would be able to match a professional singer? I am pretty sure me as well as my colleagues could easily distinguish a fake. Afterwards, much as Shinjo proposed, you could simply have us watched over." She smiled flirtily at the inspector.

The woman was in her early thirties and wearing a sleeveless, deep green dress, with a tight top, and long bottom, with a long cut, showing her leg as she walked. The dress was held by a few strings attached to a high collar, covering her whole neck. She had laughing, green eyes, nicely framed by full make-up, contrasting her reddish hair, pinned up, leaving only a few lose strands.

Ginzo laughed sheepishly, seemingly abashed by his outburst. "Ah Tadari-san~! That's a great idea!"

Shinichi let out a dry laugh. Just leave it to Nakamori to not bother about the suspicious details. "Nee! How come you know that KID isn't a professional singer? He does have a strong voice and is known to have a lot control over it…" He asked with his chirping tone.

"Oi kid! Don't interrupt adults when they are talking!" Nakamori growled at Conan in an angered tone.

"Oh, it's quite alright. Children should be encouraged to be curious." She said with a calm voice, placing a hand on Conan's head, ruffling his hair a little and leaned to the boy. "It's quite simple, actually. You are right that KID-san does have a strong voice and fairly good control over it. It is possible that with proper guidance, he could become a professional singer. But he isn't one just yet. First of all he doesn't control his breathing like he should and tends to strain his voice where it could and should be avoided. If he tried to sing a difficult piece like that, he would find himself out of breath or missing tones. Simply speaking, he doesn't know about some difficult rules a singer has to follow. Does this answer your question?"

"Uh-oh… yeah, thank you, kind lady." Conan chirped, smiling back to her.

"Not a problem at all~"

For the whole time, the manager stared in shock at the woman and hesitated a little. "Are you sure it's a good idea T-Tadari? I-I mean you shouldn't strain your voice too much..." The detectives noted some distress in his voice.

The singer waved her hand, dismissing his worries. "Oh, it's fine, my dear, as long as I don't have to sing the grand solo. Also, there is enough time for me to recover."

The detectives grimaced sympathetically, knowing all too well from their investigation what caused the worry.

Nakamori, on the other hand, seemed puzzled. "Uhm... Recover? Is something wrong..?" He asked in a troubled tone.

The manager grimaced with slight anger at the inspector. "That is not-"

"Do not worry so much Shinjo~!" The woman cut him off with a pearly laugh. "I am sure our brave law enforcer is already aware of my condition and that it simply slipped his mind." She smiled softly and turned her gaze to Nakamori, making the man blush slightly. "Although I would deeply appreciate if you agreed to help keep it away from the public. I do not wish to worry my fans."

"Of course! I can assure you not a word about this will leave my or my subordinates' lips! But erm… just for formalities, if you could…"

Heiji muffled a snort, hearing Nakamori's clumsy attempts to cover his lack of knowledge. Shinichi just rolled his eyes at his friend's cheerfulness.

Tadari acted like she didn't notice it and turned her gaze away, clearly unwilling to talk about the topic. "I um… I don't think it's that important. Let's just leave it, alright?" She asked, locking her eyes with the inspector's, who could only nod in response. The detectives didn't miss, however, the hint of pain in her expression.

The singer helped organize the check up for other performers and herself, although both the manager and the inspector claimed that it wasn't necessary for her to. The song Tadari sang wasn't an especially difficult piece, so the awe of the staff members and other singers was somewhat surprising for the detectives. Nonetheless, her voice was pure and pleasant to hear. When she finished, somebody started clapping and the teens noticed another woman, who came during the song. Tadari beamed at her.

"Megumi-chan~!"She chirped and walked towards the actress to give her a hug.

Furahata laughed cheerfully and hugged her in return. "I'm glad to see you too Chizo-chan~ But I believe you should lower your voice a little. You know, you shouldn't strain your voice so much." She scolded the singer.

Tadari smirked slightly and covered her mouth, giggling. "I guess you're right. Thank you~" She replied with a whisper.

Furahata looked around with slight worry and turned her attention to the other woman. "Are you sure you can do it..? I mean we could-"

"Don't worry dear, I'll be just fine. I'm also sure those brave officers will help us hold KID-san back until we finish our performance. Right, Nakamori-keibu~?" She added a bit louder, turning to the inspector.

The man cleared his throat and puffed his chest. "But of course! There is nothing you have to worry about, Tadari-san!" He announced with a proud voice and looked slightly abashed, turning his gaze to the actress. "But um… I'm afraid I'll have to ask you, Furahata-san, to leave for safety measures…"

Megumi smiled "I'm understand, but inspector?"

"Yes?"

"Do me a favor and don't be too rough on my dream man, alright?" She giggled and left the backstage, escorted by two officers.

Nakamori grimaced and grumbled under his breath and Tadari held back a giggle, watching her friend leave with a broad smile.

The detectives decided between themselves to split and search the area separately. They were positive that KID had to be around there somewhere, but the cheek pulling of the opera staff and the singing test proved that he didn't disguise himself as anyone yet. To avoid trouble, Nakamori assigned an officer for each of the two teens, reluctantly allowing Conan to move freely by himself. It wasn't easy to find anything suspicious, as the backstage usually was a messy place, logical only in the eyes of those who knew what to look for.

In the meantime, one officer followed Tadari to the make-up room. Conan narrowed his eyes and wanted to go with them, but before he could get through the door some guy from the staff grabbed his collar and picked him up.

"Whoa boy! It's no place for you to run around! Did you get lost? Come on... I'll help you find your parents!" And not listening to Conan's attempts to explain the situation, he started carrying him away.

Fortunately, before Shinichi could be taken away, Hattori overheard his voice and explained the situation to the stubborn staff member who solemnly apologized for his actions. When they were walking back to join Hakuba, Heiji grinned at Kudo, but didn't say anything.

* * *

The play started on schedule and apparently none of the singers were intercepted by the kaitou yet. It was a type of a ballad opera, so some of the dialogs were simply spoken. Everything went smoothly through the first part and as expected, there was a lot of commotion during the entr'acte. It was fairly hard to keep an eye on all of the actors, staff members and the musicians during this time, but somehow the well-disciplined officers managed to, even despite the angry hisses from the annoyed people they were trying to protect.

And so started the second part. The tension was visible as the grand solo was drawing near. Up until now, to spare her vocal cords, Tadari had only easy parts of songs to voice, always accompanied by another singer or the choir. All for the sake of that one song, after which the necklace would be brought to the singer and stay on her neck for the rest of the play.

During Akodo Hanzo's (the lead male singer) solo, a heavily guarded man, dressed in an angel costume was given the heist target. A few officers went up the staging to keep a close eye on the wires the man would be raised with, to pass the gem to Tadari, after her solo. All held their breaths when Akodo fell over, which was the cue for Chizo to start. The music stopped and the only tone in the air was her mesmerizing, strong voice. After the first few lines, the instruments joined her song, enriching it. The detectives, as well as others listened in awe, able only to think that it was worth coming to just be able to hear it. Conan was the first to snap out of its charm, finally figuring what was bothering him this whole time. He noticed that the singer's voice wavered slightly when the song required high pitches.

He gasped and when the last tones faded, he spoke with startled voice. "KID..!"

The 'angel' was already descending towards the singer, presenting her the necklace. Nakamori turned his startled gaze at the boy and back at the stage and the woman, who noticed the slight commotion, threw the shrunken detective a familiar smirk, right before the whole area got covered with smoke. Dressed if full regalia, KID jumped up from the smoke and hung in the air, casually standing above it. He spread his arms, greeting his audience.

"Ladies and gentleman! As announced, I am pleased to take my part in this performance. Sadly I do not find it worthy enough to bid farewell to a singer as marvelous as the one we have a pleasure to admire here. This is why I decided to add a bit of glamour myself!" He joined his hands and slowly separated them again, so everybody could see glinting wires spread between his fingers.

With a hasty movement, KID spread his arms widely again, making the wires loosely fall down and suddenly stretch, causing some startled gasps from people still hidden under the smoke. The kaitou's grin grew eerie.

"And now. Let the show… continue." He spoke with an ominous voice and moved a few fingers.

There were shocked yelps from the orchestra, as on KID's signal and energetic music started flowing from there. The kaitou moved his arm, waving off the smoke and uncovering the surprised actors looking at him. Akodo was holding Tadari in his arms and it seemed that the woman's lips were sealed with a zipper. KID moved his fingers and the audience noticed wires attached to the actors being moved and causing the people to move accordingly, with surprise written all over their faces.

"The mysterious puppeteer stole the princesses' love along with her voice, from the angel that helped her carve it into a stone." KID started explaining with a narrator's tone. "She became but a mere doll, unable to feel or move. And through the stone, the puppeteer gained power over her subjects." He started descending to the stage and noticed from the corner of his eye a few officers, led by Nakamori to rush there also. "To return her to life, the stone needed to be retrieved and returned. And so the brave enforcers stepped forward, not scared of the puppeteer's power."

As KID landed, Akodo tried to grab him, but without looking at him the kaitou moved his hand, causing the actor to turn on his heel and start singing with a surprised expression. Nakamori roared, encouraging his subordinates to capture the thief, who snapped his fingers causing himself and the officers to get covered in smoke. The instrumental music picked up speed as the smoke cleared, uncovering the officers in clothes matching medieval guards' uniforms, attempting to capture the kaitou.

The detectives didn't stand idly and separated. Heiji and Saguru started climbing the railing, from opposite sides of the stage, to reach the wires, which they noticed were attached somewhere above instead of KID's fingers. Conan, due to his small frame, wouldn't have been able to help them there, so he decided to cover the most probable escape route and prepare a trap there. The teens pushed their way through the startled officers, who were merely watching the show below, unsure what to do. Holding the metal bars tightly, Hakuba and Hattori started walking towards the nearest moving platforms, that had strings attached to them. The Brit hesitated for a moment when he reached it, unsure if cutting the wires was the best idea. Heiji didn't have such dilemmas and strongly grabbed the strings pulling them out of the platform, freeing Akodo from their influence. The actor shot a surprised gaze above and the Osakan grinned at him. Hanzo smirked in return and took out his stage sword, attacking KID from behind. The detectives and the audience gasped, seeing the kaitou trip, grabbing the actor in attempt to hold his balance, causing them both to fall over, which in turn resulted in a small smoke eruption. The officers jumped them and after a short struggle placed a few handcuffs on a white sleeved arm.

Hakuba and Hattori shared distressed stares and rushed to get off the railings, forgetting all about the rest of the platforms. After a brief silence, the audience started cheering as the officers grabbed the dazed KID, forcing him on his feet. Nakamori cheered and rushed his subordinates to take the kaitou off the stage, absently handing the gem to the actor who pulled his sleeve. Akodo hastily straightened his costume and cleared his throat while approaching Tadari, clearly willing to finish the show.

"My beloved, I've retrieved your voice and our love." He leaned to her, gently peeling off the tape with a drawn zipper on it "But I see it was a wasted effort. I have noticed that despite the theft, your beautiful voice has stayed with you, singing ever as clear from your heart." She gasped, surprised hearing those words. He kneeled and placed a kiss on her hand and got up, while having his eyes locked with hers. "I will always hear it, whatever the future may bring." He said bowing before her, offering his hand.

The singer covered her trembling lips with her free hand and there was some wetness in the corners of her eyes. She squeezed gently his hand and smiled with genuine gratefulness.

She answered with a husky voice. "Thank you, my perfect prince. Both for your deeds and your words."

He only smiled at her with warmth in reply and placed a kiss on her fingers again. Hakuba noticed the crewman's lips tremble, as he was holding back a smile, when he pulled a lever to drop the curtain.

During this brief ending, Nakamori with his subordinates managed to drag the still dazed kaitou to the backstage and chuckling with anticipation the inspector tore his hat and the monocle away. Unfazed by the view of Akodo's face, he started pulling his cheeks strongly, causing the man to moan in pain. It took a whole minute of the torture for Nakamori to understand that he was holding by the skin the original actor. He turned immediately around to the stage, but the curtain has already fallen and he saw only Tadari standing alone there. An officer managed just in time to muffle his superior's roar, so the audience wouldn't hear him.

* * *

"Nee… where's the hurry..?" Conan stepped forward from the shadow blocking the path for a staff member, who was headed towards the backdoor through a narrow corridor. "KID." He finished with a smirk, seeing a surprised expression on the man's face.

"KID? No, you're mistaken. They just caught him back there." The man claimed reassuringly, although without much hope.

"Oh? And you didn't want to see his face when they unmask him?"

The man's face bloomed with a familiar grin. "Not really. Too much of a commotion for me, you see. I decided to get some fresh air~"

The boy leaned to his shoe, causing some sparks to jump from it. "By the way, my respects. I didn't know you could sing that well. But I guess you still need some practice, if you want to change your profession. Although you had me fooled with your explanation."

The man crooked his head. "Oh? You noticed? My congratulations, Tantei-kun, you do have a good ear. But I can assure you that my explanation was not false. I only spoke about the past. What would it make me, if I lied to curious children~?" He asked with a wide grin.

Conan shot him a flat stare. "Give back the jewel, so we can talk freely."

KID sighed spreading, his arms in a helpless gesture. "I'm terribly sorry Tantei-kun, but I can't spare you any time tonight. Maybe next time~? And as for the necklace… I do believe I have earned it this time fair and square…" He pointed out.

Shinichi narrowed his eyes. "Don't you want to know what we figured out?"

The kaitou chuckled. "I think that you found out enough, but I believe you will make the right choice-"

There was a loud crack from behind KID and he shot a short glance behind his shoulder. That was enough for Conan, who at the same time launched his soccer ball and kicked it in the thief's direction. There was a blast of blinding flash and by the time Shinichi could see clearly enough, KID was gone. Although he was fairly sure that he managed to hit him. Regrettably, the kaitou didn't fall for another trap laid at the exit, probably choosing another route to escape. Unsurprisingly, the noise was caused by a few officers who were looking for the kaitou and Conan learned from them what happened around the scene during his absence.

The boy smirked as most of the puzzles fell into place. All that was left was to confront a few people to clear the rest.

* * *

The detectives managed to slip from Nakamori's attention who was busy shouting at… well, practically everybody. Somehow avoiding pulling too much attention to themselves, they approached a private room of the main star of that night's opera. The door was guarded by a sole man, who Conan easily managed to deal with the help of his watch. They settled the guard unsuspiciously against the wall and entered the room, interrupting a conversation between Tadari and Furahata. Both women looked surprised at the boys.

"Um… I believe you shouldn't be here…" Megumi said, slightly taken aback.

Hakuba smirked and replied with a polite tone. "Pardon the intrusion, but we wanted to ask you a few questions. And I believe neither of you ladies would want somebody to overhear them…"

The woman looked at each other and the boys took it as acceptance and closed the door behind them.

"Um… I'm afraid we don't know what you're talking about, but I hope we can clear this misunderstanding." The actress spoke again and offered a nervous smile, as the singer shifted uncomfortably and cleared her throat quietly.

Conan threw Chizo a worried look "We know it's hard to speak for you, Tadari-san, but don't worry. We just want to clear some details about this case just for the sake of unraveling it."

The singer let out a small cough. "I don't know what you're talking about, boy." She spoke with a husky voice. "It's just that the smoke irritated my throat…"

"It's not nice to lie." Heiji cut in with an amused tone, scolding her, but continued with an understanding one and a reassuring smile. "It's been probably like that for a while now, right? That's why not many people heard you talking lately."

The woman shot the teen a scared look, but before they could deny, Saguru continued the thought. "We know you had an operation. It wasn't easy to find out what the cause was. It was laryngeal cancer, right? And although the laser operation was a success, it relapsed." He stated, softly watching Tadari's shoulders drop.

The shrunken detective continued with a firm tone. "But you learned about it after the show was announced and for some reason you didn't want to cancel it. So you decided to contact KID. Most likely it was Furahata-san who convinced you to do it. The whole staff knew and agreed to it. The manager helped you contact him and the rest helped out with today's trick. I'm more than sure that we will find convincing evidence of how he did it by himself, but the truth is that he wouldn't manage that without your cooperation. The questions are why didn't you simply cancel the show, why involve KID of all the people and why move it to another building in the last second?" Conan asked, intensely watching the woman.

They did have their theories about the first two questions, but those were delicate matters and it would be far better to allow the women to explain themselves. But the building swap made no sense at all. It wasn't any easier to escape or prepare the trick in this place, it wasn't even that closer to Ekoda to make any difference. There just wasn't any legitimate reason to change the location. Heiji also managed to confirm that the official reason wasn't true. Moreover, it was sloppily made and in a rush.

The women shared a look in a silent conversation, before Tadari gave a small, defeated smile and sighed. "I will explain it the best I can, but... Please don't make the others pay for my selfishness."

"Chizo!" Furahata cut in with shock and turned to the boys "It was my idea, so don't blame her..."

"Oi, oi..." Heiji sweat dropped and let out a sheepish laugh, trying to calm down the women, before they started arguing about it. "We already told you that we just wanted to solve this. In the end nothing bad happened, so there is no need for anybody to pay for this."

The women looked at the detectives in confusion, clearly unsure if they can trust them, but in the end they didn't have much choice. The singer cleared her throat again in attempt to speak, but the actress stopped her.

"Chizo, why not let me say it? You shouldn't strain yourself too much."

Tadari smiled softly and shook her head. "Thank you, Megumi, but I want to explain myself." She turned her attention to the boys, holding up her pleasant smile. "You were right with your deductions. The truth is that I was devastated when I started losing my voice again and heard the diagnosis." She clenched her fingers and looked down. "I... I was told that the only way now was to have a regular operation and cut it all out... Losing my voice completely."

The boys turned their piercing gazes away. They thought that it would be like that, but hearing it said by the person whose whole life was her voice...

Tadari cleared her throat again and continued after a brief pause. "I didn't want that, or to admit to anyone about the relapse. They found out anyway. The manager did try to convince me to cancel the show, or at least change it, but I couldn't bear the thought of disappointing my fans. The truth is that I lived solely for them. So everybody supported me the best they could, but well… It's not like it could have been enough. It was getting worse. Megumi proposed that I ask somebody to double for me." She smiled to her friend clenching her hand. "But you boys see, it's not that simple. There is strong rivalry in our environment and it would be tricky to find somebody willing to cover for me without admitting their participation. And I couldn't have that, because people would start asking why I didn't sing myself. And unfortunately all my friends who I could ask have different voice scales than I do. As a joke, Megumi said that we need a miracle, so we should give KID a call." They both chuckled at that. "I didn't take it seriously at first and I doubt she meant to say that, but as the time passed, it got me thinking… Eventually I decided to give it a try. Everybody was very doubtful of the idea, even I didn't believe that it would work. But he did respond and came to our rehearsal unannounced. That was a very confusing encounter." She chuckled, but was cut off with her cough.

Megumi held her hand, frowning with worry, until the attack ended. She passed her a glass of water. The singer drank it and continued after a brief rest.

"He seemed rather amused with our little taunt and curious about it. I explained him the situation, apologizing for the trouble, but he decided to give it a try. I can't say he was perfect, but did have the potential. And was willing to improve. Under a condition." She smiled softly, taking a brief pause to let her voice rest. "I was the one supposed to meet and prepare him. He also was willing to double for me without making it a heist, but declined the offer to give him the jewel in return. He honestly started pouting like a child, while making his little tricks. He claimed that he only takes the gems during his heists and refused to do it outside of them. I think that was the first time since I learned about the cancer that I laughed so hard. We actually started arguing with him about how we would repay him. In the end, Shinjo demanded him to make it into a heist, nearly forcing him against his will. I can tell you, the manager was so terrified when it occurred to him later that he ordered the KID around." She chuckled again at the memory and they let het a few minutes to calm down. "I started meeting with him once a week at the beginning to help him improve and supervise his progress. Later it was less often. He turned out to be such a nice and gentle b- man." She corrected herself hastily, clearly still wanting to cover for KID.

Hakuba's lips quirked slightly as he idly wondered how much this woman learned about Kuroba during their meetings, while she continued her tale.

"I can tell that he was working rather hard in between our meetings. But we didn't only focus on his practice. We talked a lot also. He made me learn some minor tricks. We never talked about my condition or the operation, but… Somehow he made me believe that the life is worth living. And I decided to take the operation. It's scheduled for next week." She smiled with hope glinting in her eyes and she looked at them. "If I could ask you… Don't get him arrested. I don't know why he's doing what he does… But he's a good man and doesn't deserve to get locked away."

"We know that." Heiji assured her with a smile. "But you didn't say why did you change the location..?"

The women looked at each other and Megumi answered. "Well… The truth is that he asked for it. After the explosion he contacted us, so we wouldn't worry, assuring us that he would come for the show. But last Monday he came over to the manager, apologetically explaining that he wouldn't be able to perform in the other building. He didn't say why and well, Shinjo-san didn't ask him. Especially since KID-san agreed to come if we changed the location to here."

The detectives frowned, disappointed that the riddle remained unsolved and started turning even more worrying. They said their goodbyes and wished Tadari a successful operation. Megumi let them out to avoid confusion with the guard, who managed to wake up in the meantime.

* * *

Much as expected the officers found small speakers, hidden in the instruments and loops for the wires both on the instruments and costumes. The notes for the musicians were covered with half transparent red lettering saying that KID decided to take over the show and if the orchestra didn't want the whole show to be a failure, they wouldn't interfere. The actors revealed that after the smoke cleared, they noticed in their ears earphones with a record asking in KID's voice to not go against the new flow of the show. Nakamori personally thanked Akodo for going against the kaitou's wishes when he had the chance and then yelled at him for not showing sooner that the thief managed to switch places with him.

Nobody figured out and the detectives kept silent that all the evidence were placed there by the actors and the musicians or that the instrument records weren't even prepared by KID. Nor that the music was played by the orchestra during the show, instead of just being replayed.

* * *

They were about to leave the opera building when Heiji poked Conan's arm to get his attention and pointed with a snicker around the corner. The boy overheard a conversation between two officers of the KID Task Force. Hakuba noticed both his fellow detectives stop, so he also did and started listening.

"I sometimes wonder if we're not the ones seen as the bad guys..." One muttered with a sigh and the Brit was fairly sure it was one of the regular members of the KID Unit - officer Akori.

"Huh? What are you talking about? He's the bad guy! He even stole the necklace... again!" Saguru identified him in his mind as officer Yuzu - a new addition to the Force, who joined after the fatal series heists.

"Yeah well, but we all know he will return it safe and sound anyway. No harm done. And all he did was to enhance the performance to bid farewell to Tadari-san."

"And to ruin their performance in the end..." Yuzu muttered, displeased.

"It didn't seem that anybody felt that way. Tadari-san seemed more touched than angered to me, same for other performers. Everybody was just happy. As always... You'll learn to look forward and trust the KID yourself if you stay with the Force long enough." Akori pointed with a sniker.

"Oh yeah? Do I really have to remind you that you were one of those who got cut with those razor cards of his, not so long ago? And I'm positive that kid who he threw down the staircase wasn't happy either!"

"Oh come on! You weren't even there back then, besides... I cut myself deeper sometimes during my morning shave and he did that only to protect me from getting a bullet, so I'm rather grateful to him. I'm more than sure that he threw the boy with the same purpose in mind."

"The bullet holes could have been prepared before by him, it's not like anybody noticed them happening and as for the boy, I'm sure he could have come up with something that wouldn't traumatize him!"

The other wanted to respond to that, but was cut off by the roar of Nakamori-keibu. "What the hell are you two doing here chit-chatting?! Get it wrapped up so we can finally leave!"

The detectives didn't wait to listen to the scolding and left the building, chuckling quietly.

* * *

They calmed down by the time they were outside, each quietly going around their own thoughts. Suddenly Shinichi and Heiji noticed that Saguru was not with them. They turned around to see the Brit standing silently half way from the opera building with a frown on his face. They approached him.

"Something wrong?" Hattori asked with slight concern, shifting his gaze to the numerous police cars parked before the building that seemed to have occupied the other detective's mind.

Hakuba shook his head and turned back to his friends. "Nothing really. Just got caught up in my thoughts." He looked at Conan. "So, you want us to meet your friends at Agasa-hakase's tomorrow at noon?"

"Yeah… thanks for helping me out with it."

They chatted a bit about their plans for the weekend. They decided to return to the manor on foot to allow Kuroba to approach them, if he wanted to. Sadly though, he didn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This heist was brought to you by "Escapist" by Nightwish. I know it has nothing to do with an opera, but I saw a KID AMV made with it and somehow started equaling our beloved kaitou with a nightingale, and just itched to make a riddle with it. Then I remembered a few fics where it was claimed that Kaito can sing and the idea started rolling xD
> 
> For those who wonder – no, Kaito still can't match an opera singer, he used a few tricks to enhance his voice for the grand solo, but I couldn't find a way for the detectives to figure it out and decided that it's not really that important for them ;)


	24. The stray fox

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And now for a chapter showing why it's a bad idea to first poke a kaitou and leave him to his own schemes for too long…

After the heist, Kaito went straight back to his house. He felt extremely tired, and this time it wasn't because of all the jumping around the stage and getting dogpiled. Which, anyway, made him sometimes wonder if those guys had any idea how heavy they were and how come they never got injured because of it? Maybe they had some after work training of dogpiling in a safe way? And people say that he's the crazy one... Kaito chuckled at the image of his officers constantly jumping each other until Nakamori felt pleased with the result. He sighed heavily. No, this heist wasn't physically very demanding, this time it was simply stressful. He didn't want to fail Chizo-chan, but it was very risky for him. There were far too many people he didn't know knew who he was disguised as and they had more than a few opportunities to catch him. And he wouldn't blame them, if they tried. Also he felt bad for using an event like this for his own shady schemes, although he didn't have a choice. At least after this weekend he would finally settle the score that weighted him so heavily. He only hoped his detectives wouldn't wind this up.

Freed from his disguise, he went to the bathroom and hissed at the sight in the mirror. The area under his left eye was darkening already, from where his arm hit him as he deflected the hellish soccer ball. He was fairly sure it would knock him out if he got a direct hit. Kaito started placing ointment on all of his bruises to keep them from spreading too fast, wondering if the imp really didn't try to turn him in. The little guy was definitely puzzling, but at least kept the game fun enough. Same as the other two… He didn't expect the actor to be released so fast. Good thing they were prepared for it. He washed himself up and went to his mother to inform her that he didn't wish for any intruders in the morning. He kept drying his hair with a towel while talking, so either that or his bangs that obstructed her view of his blackening eye. He went to his room, idly wondering at what time his detectives would come to bother him and figured he could try and beat them to it. Grinning mischievously, he set the alarm clock and went to bed, glad about finding a distraction from his previous grim thoughts.

* * *

As usual, he moaned at the restless alarm clock and grumbled under his breath, rubbing his sore muscles. He should have stretched a bit more before going to bed and now his neglect was taking vengeance on him. He checked his arm, but thankfully the ball didn't do much damage there. After that he listened at the door for a few moments and didn't note any suspicious noises. He slipped to the bathroom, and after brushing his teeth, he put on some make up to cover his black eye. It took him a while to get a result he was happy enough with, and afterwards he fed his birds hastily, took a toast, gave his mother a wave (idly wondering why she didn't fly off somewhere yet), and he left the house. He directed his steps towards Hakuba's manor, fairly sure about his deduction to find his detectives there, if they didn't leave already. When they met Kaito at the park earlier this week, they were all tired and frustrated. Tantei-kun had his mind clearly only on the records, so he doubted the little guy managed to hold up his façade in school. And Mouri-chan wouldn't allow him to skip in order to sit in front of a computer. So he had to do it somewhere else. Of course, they could have been at the crazed professor's, but that wouldn't make much sense. He knew Tantei-han was slacking off at school more than he did, so unless he was on an official case (which he wasn't, taking into account how they were sneaking around the mall last weekend), it was doubtful he would be sleeping at Mouri's and the old guy's house didn't provide that much privacy. In comparison, Tantei-san's house had more than enough room, computers and everything they needed. Even if they were discovered, Kaito doubted anyone would mind Hakuba having his friends sleeping over. So it would be the perfect solution.

While walking, he started sorting out his plans for the upcoming days. From what the manager told him, Chizo-chan would have her operation on Wednesday, so he could drop in for a visit on Tuesday evening. She would surely appreciate it. Absently, he made a few small tricks and wondered how she would manage afterwards. Living on without her voice would probably be the same as if somebody took away his hands. And he couldn't really imagine a life like that. He shifted his thoughts back to the present, wondering how he should proceed.

Kaito stopped in his tracks suddenly, when the realization of what he was doing hit him. He had tones of distractions, if he wished for them. There was no valid reason for him to struggle with those noisy detectives and probably encourage them to keep in contact with his civil persona. He grimaced, unwilling to admit that he simply wanted to have some fun around them. By all means he should leave them alone… Eventually he stuffed his hands in his pockets and continued walking anyway. He didn't necessarily have to let them see him in the end. He could simply creep around them to figure out their plans to avoid getting surprised again and leave around a few traps, which would provide some amusement, but wouldn't necessarily look like his work. It would be a nice training of his skills. And also he wanted to take a slight revenge on Tantei-kun for attacking the innocent him in the park earlier on that week. Afterwards he could get back to with his own schemes with little worry of bumping into them. And he was going to stick to that explanation, focusing his mind on how to sneak around the manor without getting spotted.

* * *

It was nice of Hakuba that he didn't tend to change the layout of his security cameras too often. Kaito leveled a tree to take a peek inside Tantei-san's room. The Brit wasn't in there, so the magician frowned, wondering where he could have gone. He saw the car on the driveway, so at the very least they didn't go anywhere far. Shrugging off the risk, he slipped inside through the window, closing it silently afterwards. Moving as quietly as he could, he sneaked to the door and took a careful look around the corridor. The downside of the manors was the fact that they usually didn't have conveniently large enough air shafts to crawl through. He grinned, hearing water splashing from the bathroom. It wasn't a definite proof that it was either of the detectives, but there was the chance. But if it was one of them, then the next step for them would be the kitchen. While sneaking in there, he wondered in which room they would be discussing their plan for that day, if they didn't do it already. He suppressed a yelp as he heard the door behind him open, and rushed down the stairs, hastily hiding behind the corner. Without stopping, he silently rushed towards the kitchen, hearing another set of footsteps on this level. He hastily looked around, not noticing any obvious hiding places, but hearing the other person coming towards him. He settled his gaze on narrow doors, near another entrance and jumped towards them. It turned out to be some kind of closet for brushes and such and he somehow managed to stuff himself in there. He turned motionless, holding anything that might want to fall over and started silently praying to Lady Luck that nobody would want to check out this particular closet before he managed to leave it.

* * *

Conan entered the kitchen and greeted politely the old housekeeper, who's been so nice to them this whole week. She smiled towards him from over the frying pan, on which she was currently preparing some eggs.

"Why good morning, have you slept well? I haven't expected you to be up so early after a heist."

He glanced at the frying pan, slightly surprised. "We got kind of used to getting up through this week. Although I guess Hattori might not be getting up too soon." He added with a smirk. "Hakuba-kun should be down soon. Sorry to have you up so early." He apologized sincerely.

"Don't worry about it, dear. I have a few things to look into, so I decided to prepare food before, in case you boys got up and felt hungry."

That certainly explained everything. He sat on the chair at the isle. "Thank you. It must be a bother to cook for so many people…"

"You are most welcome. And it's not a problem at all." She assured him with a soft chuckle. "I'm actually happy to see Saguru-bocchama having his friends over."

Shinichi frowned at that. It wasn't the first time he noticed that she wasn't treating him like a child, at least not more than his fellow detectives. The Brit assured him that he didn't tell his housekeeper about his situation and Conan saw no reason for him to do it, but Hakuba did seem to sometimes neglect her presence while talking about delicate matters. He wondered if the old lady may have overheard something. He found it somewhat worrying. Especially that he couldn't really confirm his suspicions without mentioning something strange. So instead he smiled and continued the polite and pointless conversation.

After a while she encouraged him to grab a bite and before Hakuba managed to join them, Conan was eating a full breakfast in the kitchen. The Brit greeted them politely and joined the boy. The woman soon left them alone, explaining she would be found in the basement if they needed her.

Kaito felt the urge to moan or slam his head into the wall behind him from boredom. He hoped they would leave soon, but it didn't seem so. This way he was trapped and unable to prepare any traps for them. He silently cursed this whole idea, while Shinichi broke the silence that has fallen between the detectives once Baaya left them.

"Hakuba-kun, you're sure she doesn't know about… you know - me?" He asked carefully.

"Hm? Why would you think so?" The Brit replied with surprise.

"Well, she doesn't treat me exactly like a child. Not that I complain, but it's not common with how I look, you know." He answered bitterly.

Saguru hummed in response, while munching on his sandwich before answering. "I suppose she simply noticed how we're treating you and she decided to act accordingly. Besides, she never did treat me like a child. I believe she is used to treating children like small adults, instead of some immature creatures."

Shinichi hummed in response. He never thought of it like that, but Hakuba had a point. Even during his first childhood, he never did like being treated as a child. He swallowed a bite. "Well, but there is a chance she overheard something about the poison and I would prefer it to stay a secret, you know."

Kaito raised an eyebrow at that, wondering how a poison could be connected to Tantei-kun's… tiny problem.

"I don't think you have to worry too much. I doubt that she did, but even if so, she's more trustworthy than a certain somebody." He added with a smirk.

'Hey!' The hidden magician took offence at those words. He may have been mischievous, but he'd never spurt anybody's secrets.

Conan chuckled grimly at that. "Yeah… Hattori will be the death of me someday with his slips…"

'Oh, so they meant Tantei-han? That would make more sense…' Kaito agreed silently, noting the new information with a grin.

"But anyway…" Shinichi continued, as they stopped laughing. "I would be still grateful if you tried to make sure she doesn't know anything."

Hakuba sighed. "Well, if you insist…" He hummed, wondering about it "I can't promise you anything, but I will try."

"Thanks." He replied and went silent again.

Kaito felt mildly annoyed. He never wanted to pry into Tantei-kun's secret, because there was a slight chance that he might want to get tangled in it, if he knew. And now they did stir up his curiosity. With the lack of any amusements or more information about the matter, he was left with his own deductions. Like a detective… Damn… Well, this was his only choice, since he wouldn't be able to casually ask about it, without causing any suspicions. Till now Kaito preferred to believe that the shrimpie state was some kind of a disguise, prepared by the crazy professor. But he doubted the good-hearted old guy would invent a poison… Which left the scary Organization Tantei-kun was so fixed on as the most probable culprit. Anyway, what kind of poison returned your youth? It should be rather seen as a marvelous drug, if it did. The whole idea of a poison was that it wasn't beneficial to the body, so maybe it had some dreadful side-effects? But Tantei-kun seemed healthy. He sure could run and kick… his aim wasn't off either. So maybe the returned childhood was an unexpected result instead of a harmful one? That would make more sense… What's more, Meitantei always seemed bitter about his state, so it was most likely forced onto him, or he was tricked into taking it. Was he a victim of an experiment? No, that felt wrong. The shrimp didn't work hard on his disguise, the glasses only slightly distinguished him from his former self. So most likely it was aimed at those who knew Shinichi previously and had no suspicions of him being a child again. So not an experiment, but still an unexpected result, after which either Tantei-kun was expected to not survive or escaped, before his new state was noticed. Interesting…

He suppressed a sigh. Those two were silent again and he was still trapped in this dammed closet, while his limbs were beginning to feel stiff. He never did like to stay perfectly still for too long… And he couldn't do anything really amusing to distract himself.

Finally the two detectives wanted to leave the room, but changed their mind as Tantei-han joined them and decided to satisfy his hunger. The magician wanted to moan in his torment. Fortunately the Osakan wasn't the silent type, so at least Kaito had something to listen to. And he didn't mind in the least as they decided that the latest heist was a good topic~ He did like to hear their excitement that his tricks brought to them. Also it was interesting to notice that Tantei-han and Tantei-san seemed to be getting along better. He was slightly disappointed to discover that he failed to fool them into thinking that he actually sang on opera singer level, but it seemed they were still stuck with what trick he used to be able to mimic it. Although he would admit that they were close enough. And much as expected they did discover everything else.

Later he found out that Hattori would be going back to Osaka on that day and after seeing him off the other two had their own plans, towards which Tantei-han was somewhat sarcastic. That made Kaito believe he was part of this plan, but he would disappoint them. He already did waste more time than he wanted to, so there was no way he would be hanging around them anymore today. Maybe on the next day. He still wondered about the mysterious poison which they never mentioned again. It was bound to be a bother to figure it out, but he already set his mind to it. Although it disturbingly might lead him to sniffing more around the Organization… Well, he already was doing it anyway, so probably there was no harm in having a side goal.

By the time the detectives decided to leave the kitchen, Kaito had abandoned his plans to trap them. He didn't want them to have any suspicions of him ever being there. Also, while they were at the station, it was the best time for him to pry into what they have found on the records. So instead of leaving the house he found a better hideout and waited for them to leave first. Afterwards he raided Hakuba's archive, with only mild remorse about stealing the effects of their hard work. He might later add in his own findings, if he had any after watching his own record, so it would be fair enough. And it's not like he made them work on it so hard. It didn't take him long to find the notes he was looking for and copy them. He was mostly glad to find the timeframes he should cover, instead of watching the whole thing. He mentally congratulated his detectives on the neat notes and with a rough idea of what he should be looking for, he left the manor, promising himself to get to it on the next day. He already wasted enough of this day and had a few things to take care of, before his evening visit.

* * *

When Kaito returned to home at night, he was surprised to hear that the detectives didn't appear looking for him. During the day only Aoko tried to reach him through his phone, and in the end he promised her to spend some time with her on the next day. Was it possible that his critics gave up on him already? Well… that was possible, but more likely they were scheming something. Or got into trouble. Again… Kaito facepalmed, hoping that neither of them had a corpse falling on their heads. There wasn't much he could do now anyway, so after suppressing his urge to send out his doves and confirm that both of his detectives were safe at homes, he went to bed. Kaito's mind circulated around the mysterious poison Tantei-kun mentioned earlier that day, before he finally managed to fall asleep.

He started his next day early with a jog and mild training while watching the record. Which was too boring to be legal. No wonder Tantei-kun was so twitchy after watching a few of those. And he doubted the stiff detectives done anything fun to amuse themselves like Kaito was. In the end, the record allowed the kaitou to deduce how and when the valuable data was concealed, but that was it. He yawned sleepily, doubting that watching it would do any good to his detectives. However tempting, this lead was a dead end. The only chance was if he followed the black Porsche back then, but now there was nothing that could be done about it, so he discarded the thought and prepared to go out with Aoko.

Surprisingly they didn't meet his detectives there either. The girl seemed to be planning something, but Kaito was too distracted, focused on trying to spot the duo, that he failed to find out what it was. But since nothing significant happened, she didn't reach her goal anyway. He started worrying more about the two boys. Convincing himself that he had other things to attend to, he sent out his doves to find them and tried to get his mind off the topic. He failed miserably, so when Aya-chan finally stopped around the crazy professor's house, while Haru-chan was still searching, he rushed there, abandoning what he was currently doing.

He felt mildly annoyed to find both of them in the house, playing video games with Tantei-kun's little friends. At least they were safe. So in the end they did simply give up on him? Well, as surprising as it was that it happened so fast, it was his goal, so he could congratulate himself. He ignored the slight stung of remorse and walked away, before anybody noticed him. He sighed heavily while walking to one of his safe houses, where he kept his grey pigeons, figuring that it would make everything simpler at least. Just like it used to be. He didn't allow his mind to gravitate to the little fun he had with them as himself. It was better for everybody that way. In the evening, glad that it would be the last time, he went to that torturous woman again and returned home at night, already having his plan on how to get more information about the poison.

* * *

It was Monday afternoon and Hattori was on his way back from school when his phone rang. To his surprise, he noted that it was Hakuba calling. He apologized to Kazuha and picked up, walking away from the girl.

"Something happened?" He asked with a perplexed tone, skipping the greeting.

_"Nice to hear you too."_ The Brit answered with a sigh. _"Not really, but I… just wanted to talk a bit…"_

Hattori raised an eyebrow, surprised that Hakuba didn't contact Shinichi instead. "Alright..." He replied warily.

_"Thanks... I'm... well, slightly worried about Kudo-kun-"_

"Why? What's going on there?" Heiji cut in hastily.

The Brit sighed again in annoyance. _"I won't be able to tell you anything, if you keep interrupting me."_

He clicked with his tongue in distaste. "Sorry. Just get to the point then."

_"That was my intention. Well anyway, like I said – nothing really happened. I'm just worried, because he still seems to be shaken up from last week."_

Heiji rolled his eyes and spoke with annoyance. "Can you blame him really? He had high hopes for it and all was for nothing."

_"Yes... he is rather fixed on them..."_ Hakuba noted absently.

"How could he not?!" Heiji snapped "I mean, they did this to him and are more slippery than snakes..." He added with a growl and shot a glance towards Kazuha to make sure she didn't hear him, but she was no longer anywhere in sight.

_"Yes, but there is still hope to fix it."_ The Brit stressed, like he was looking for confirmation.

"As if it was so easy... From what that... erm..." He paused, recalling that Kudo still kept the little scientist's role hidden from the Brit. "I mean... You know, they still need the original sample to make the antidote. And time is running. People won't be waiting for eternity for him..." He added grimly, leaning on a building wall. He was somewhat glad to get it off his chest.

Hakuba hummed sadly on the other side. _"And it has been nearly two years now..."_

"Yeah... And Ran-chan is getting impatient..." Heiji agreed grimly.

_"Understandable, since she's being kept in the dark..."_

"And it's still unfair to her. I did try to talk Kudo into telling her the truth, but he never wanted to." He explained with a grimace, not agreeing with his friend's decision.

Saguru sighed heavily. _"Well, he probably wants to make it easy for both of them, in case he wouldn't be able to return."_

Heiji blinked in slight shock, never considering it like that. "Oi... you can't be serious about it. He said he's keeping this up only to keep her safe!"

_"That might have been the initial reason."_ Saguru agreed easily. _"But look at it from another angle. It's been long already and there's no guarantee we'll ever get our hands on... erm..."_ He paused, clearly having trouble recalling the name.

"The hell?! Don't give me that attitude, Yarouba!" Hattori growled to the phone. "We will get that APTX thing and soon! There is no other option!"

Hakuba let out a short chuckle. _"Yes, you're right. Thanks."_

Heiji smirked, appeased. "It's alright. So you need something else?"

_"No, not really. I think I just needed to hear this... Thank you."_

"No problem. But don't scare me like that anymore, you hear?"

_"Of course, sorry about that."_

"It's fine. Anyway, I won't be coming this weekend, so do me a favor and find something to get Kudo's mind out of this, alright?"

_"Don't worry about it, I'll think of something to distract him~."_

"Great, take care then."

_"You too, bye."_

Hattori disconnected the call and smirked, pocketing the phone. It seemed Hakuba wasn't that bad once he loosened up a bit. The Osakan was starting to be glad they teamed up with him, at least he didn't have to worry too much about Kudo. It was also nice to know that the Brit cared so much about his friend. Not bothered about the conversation he continued walking towards his house.

* * *

So… the name of the poison was APTX? Strange one, but whatever.

The dark-haired teen deleted the traces of the conversation from the phone and pocketed it. He hummed to himself, wondering if he shouldn't go to Osaka to borrow Tantei-han's cell to send a message to Tantei-san, informing that the dark-skinned teen wouldn't come this weekend, but decided against it. It was doubtful that they would talk about it and he did promise to take care of Tantei-kun~ It didn't matter that the detective wasn't aware who made the promise. A kaitou always kept his word.

Kaito started humming a cheerful melody, heading towards Hakuba's manor to return the phone before its owner started suspecting something. Having his suspicions confirmed and finding out a bit more, satisfied his curiosity. Now he could carefully think about his next step.


	25. Darkened mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter as promised will be presented from the view of our blonde detective. Hakuba is in for a bit of a surprise and will stumble on something that he did not expect.

Hakuba had to admit he had fun during the weekend. Initially, he wanted to check up on Kuroba, but after the heist, he had a conversation with Kudo, and they decided to leave the magician alone for now. They did put some pressure on Kaito lately, and it was obvious that he wasn't feeling comfortable with it, and the last thing they wanted was to make Kuroba feel cornered. Also, Conan wanted to make it up this way for attacking him last week. So with little worry, they spent their whole weekend with the kids.

It was a little surprising and, frankly speaking, flattering for Saguru how the children were amazed with him. They seemed quite dedicated to their futures as investigators and decided to take any opportunity to make that dream come true. Due to that, they were interested not only in his detective's work, but also the way he started his career. They weren't very glad to hear that he was another child of a higher up police officer. This conversation made Hakuba wonder how much his father's occupation influenced his choices and how his life would look like if he decided to make his own path. He asked the children about their parents' professions and what encouraged them to become detectives. It turned out that initially it was only a game for them, until they got inspired by noticing how amazing Conan was with his deductions and solving cases. Hakuba didn't miss a faint blush from his fellow detective, but didn't comment on it.

The only one who didn't seem interested in him was a reddish-brown haired girl, who for the most time simply preferred to watch while smirking or have quiet conversations with Kudo. The few times she spoke up, her words were surprisingly mature and sarcastic. This made Hakuba wonder if the girl really was who she seemed to be, but he decided to not dwell on it, figuring that it wasn't his place to question either her or Kudo.

The mansion at night seemed oddly empty, when Saguru returned there alone. Despite the seriousness of the situation that lead to the other two staying over, he discovered that he did enjoy the presence of his fellow detectives there.

Sunday was also enjoyable for the Brit, although he doubted Kudo could have said the same. The game the kids compete in was not soccer based, but a car race, since that way all of them could have played together. The other children were more than happy to beat their friend over and over again. Ran apologized to the shrunken teen, apparently figuring that her presence really did stress the boy too much. The professor turned out to be a joyful and kind hearted man, who eagerly took the opportunity to show his inventions to Shinichi's new friend and shared his crazy ideas for future ones. This left Hakuba wondering if the man was actually crazy or genius. He decided that it was most likely a mix of both. Later on the kids pulled Saguru into playing with them and it was Kudo's turn to watch him get beaten.

* * *

Surprisingly, Hakuba overslept on Monday and had to rush to school. For some reason he couldn't find his phone immediately and had to go without it. It wasn't often for him to sleep so well, and on top of that his alarm clock's batteries died out during the night. That day was a quiet one - apart from slight teasing and some pranks from Kaito and the fact that class beauty - Koizumi Akako, was absent, nothing worth mentioning happened. Later, when he returned home, he found his phone under the bed, where he must have kicked it unwarily during his morning rush. He still found it all slightly suspicious, but he didn't find anything off neither in the house nor on his cell, so he eventually let it go. He spent the rest of the day at the police station, searching for something that could explain why KID decided to move the last heist to another location.

He was about to leave, when he noticed a lot of commotion, and heard Nakamori's roar silencing everybody. Interested, he reached the cafeteria and noticed officers staring at the TV. He turned his attention to it also and he froze, seeing all too familiar cocky grin on the white clad kaitou's face.

_"_ _*Thank you for your attention ladies and gentlemen, that is all for the special broadcast. Remember, if you have the solution, you should contact your local police station~ I apologize again for interrupting your show~ We will now return to this weekend's horse race review~*"_ KID said and gave a gallant bow, after which the broadcast shifted back to the previous show.

Hakuba caught one of the officers, asking what it was about. The man still seemed startled, but sighed heavily and just showed the detective his notebook. He started whining that he hoped to get home faster today and then KID just had to show up on the TV to announce his riddle, instead of sending it somewhere in the morning – like he usually did. The Brit read the riddled notice, without giving the moaning man too much attention.

_On the wettest time,_  
Where no drop falls  
And the countless lights glow so bright  
The dawn will not shine, until the sun comes again.

Saguru frowned, searching the text for the key to solving it. The whole thing didn't make much sense. He muttered words of gratitude to the officer and wrote a message to Kudo, sending him the riddle in case he missed it. The detective wondered about sending it also to Hattori, but he dismissed the thought, deciding to leave this decision to Shinichi. He knew the Osakan would be now in trouble for being away for last week without permission, so there was no need to risk him jumping into the next train. Absently, he noted a few officers rushing out of the station, most probably headed to the studio, where KID appeared, but he didn't feel the need to tag along. If it was the kaitou, he wouldn't leave any evidence, if it wasn't, then most probably the officers could handle it themselves. Instead, he figured it would be far more important to solve the riddle as fast as possible. So he wandered into the briefing room, knowing all too well that the rest of the officers would gather there to make a brain storm. A text message from Conan informed him that the boy also saw the broadcast and was working on unraveling its meaning, but as for now he was clueless about it. Hakuba sat at his usual spot, wondering why Kuroba decided to change his habit of passing his notice, while the chatter around him rose and officers started throwing ideas.

"Well, it's obvious that the heist will be this Friday, like all of those lately." A new officer to the Force, the one the detectives overheard after the last heist – Yuzu Michi, spoke up.

Hakuba smirked at the words of the bulky man with sharp features. If the detective recalled right, the officer transferred to Kaitou KID's Task Force from Division 3, which took care of controlled substances or organized crime. The higher ups every now and then did try to mix experts from various divisions into the Force, but usually they either had to adapt to the methods and attitude typical for KKTF, or they eventually asked to be transferred back. Saguru wondered idly how it would end up for Yuzu.

Nakamori growled at the officer. "You might still not know it yet, but you'll learn fast to never take anything for granted about this thief. Only those who learn to expect the unexpectable can endure encounters with him." A few knowing chuckles echoed in the room.

The man grimaced and argued. "Everybody follows certain patterns, sir-"

The inspector snorted, cutting in. "He does, too, of course. The problem is that he has multiple patterns which he follows. And before you can figure out which it is, he will be long gone. His main goal is always to surprise us. So unless you want to end up chasing your tail, shut up and listen. Anybody else got ideas?"

Yuzu looked away and another officer stood up, raising his hand. "Well, I noticed that he mentioned as the place an area 'where no drop falls', so he must mean somewhere indoor…" He noticed Nakamori's bemused stare and started speaking faster. "I-I mean, this could be the key, like, if he mentions drops, then it probably means that 'the wettest time' must be a reference to the rainy weather. We could check the broadcast and find when there should be the heaviest rain."

The inspector frowned, clearly not liking the idea, as much as Hakuba. The weather broadcast can be precise only for two-three following days and while standard notices sometimes did cover such a short time, the riddles usually gave a bit more. In the end, the kaitou wanted his audience present. But despite that, he reluctantly gave a nod to that and wrote it on the whiteboard.

"And how about the part with the dawn and sun as a reference to exact time? He could mean that the heist will start at sun rise, but due to heavy clouds it would still seem like it's night. Depending on the exact day, it would be around 4:25 AM." Somebody else spoke up.

"Isn't it rather late for him? He does prefer to work at night…" Another officer argued, unconvinced about the idea.

"Well, it will be still dark enough for him, if the clouds will be heavy and he might want to have us tired. Or you know… Simply trying something new." The first officer defended his idea with a shrug. "It's KID after all, he likes to try new stuff every now and then."

"But he would have to be sure that the weather will be bad."

"Maybe that's why he decided to broadcast it now." Nakamori muttered, focusing his gaze on the marker in his hand. "He does give very short notices sometimes. He might even strike tonight." He growled, angered.

Hakuba folded his arms. This whole deduction felt wrong, especially because it left to little potential information about the place, target and method. He doubted Kuroba would leave them only with the information that the heist will be held inside a building. He tried to turn it around.

"What about the target?" He spoke up. "Let's leave the time for now. The riddle would be pointless if it didn't say about the target, the owner, or at the very least the exact place where the heist will be held, so we could deduce the rest. As far as I remember, there isn't any especially significant jewel being brought in the incoming days, for the date solely to give us all the information we need." He looked up at Nakamori. "On the other hand, if we know the target then all other information might be simple. And if there is something that we know for certain about KID, it's that he wants to have audience and his adversaries present on his heists."

The inspector smirked at the teen. He still didn't like to deal with the smart-ass high schoolers, but Hakuba did prove himself many times to be an asset while dealing with KID, so eventually he learned to accept his presence and help. Despite that, he had sometimes most ridiculous ideas for the inspector's liking.

"So? Do you have any proposition?" He asked the detective, folding his arms.

"As a matter of fact, I might." His gaze fell on his notebook with the riddle. "I'd say he means an accessory named something with 'winter', or 'frost', or something like that. It's most likely encrusted with smaller gems."

There was a murmur throughout the room, before somebody asked him to explain. The Brit sighed and read the first three lines out loud.

"You see winter is a time when there is actually a lot of water around, but instead of drops of water it comes with snowflakes, 'countless lights shining so bright' might be a reference to other jewels, accompanying his real target. I'd guess it should be something big, like a crown, or maybe an encrusted piece of dress. It is possible that the whole set carries the specific name, but more probably it's solely given to the gem in question."

"Then the last line would give us the time and method." Nakamori stated.

The detective gave a reluctant nod. "It would seem that way. But only if there will be a significant date accompanying the target…" He replied, while his mind was searching for another explanation to the riddle. He wanted to leave the room to share his idea with Kudo.

The brain storm didn't last long after that, so Nakamori gave each of his officers assignments and contacted the team that went to the studio himself, to learn what they found there and to announce that he would join them there. Hakuba wasn't officially a member of the Task Force and as such was left to do what he found best. So after sending a text to his fellow detective, he went to the video room to watch the broadcast where KID made his announcement. While he was at it, Kudo responded him that he was surprised with the deduction, he himself focused on the possible place and came up with a tomb, or a temple surrounded by well-kept graves, which would explain 'the countless lights' surrounding the place where no drops fall. Hakuba hummed and focused his gaze on the record of the grinning thief. Shinichi's deduction also sounded reasonable, but it was unlikely that both of them were right. It wasn't typical for KID to let one line have double meanings. But he usually didn't go to the television studio either.

"Just what in the world are you up to this time..? Why show up like this..?" He asked quietly the grinning figure on the screen.

They agreed that if Kudo's deduction was correct, then the jewel would most probably be named after a storm or a tempest of some kind. Unfortunately, he couldn't help with the research, as he had to already act like he was asleep. Hakuba promised to keep him updated, if they would find something interesting and braced himself for a long night.

When Nakamori returned, the detective filled him in with 'his colleague's' idea about the target and place. The Brit buried himself deep in research, until eventually he was nearly kicked out from the station and ordered to go home and rest. He wasn't happy about it, but figured that maybe he could gain something from interacting with Kuroba on the next day, so he obeyed. Before he left, they managed to find quite a few winter-like jewels, but none of them were a part of an accessory. On the other hand they did find out about the 'Eye of the Tempest' stored in a tomb in Ishioka – a town two hour's drive from Tokyo. But no particular date was connected to it.

The weather forecast research predicted that heavy downpour could be expected only around Hokkaido region by the end of next week. Due to that discovery, a few officers were dispatched to search for a potential target there, especially ones that could cover Hakuba's deduction on the target name and form.

* * *

Tuesday started like most of regular days. Hakuba had prepared two alarm clocks just in case, but woke up before either went off. At school, on his way to the classroom, he managed to move out of the way of a stampede that was after Kuroba, for something he did. When he reached his destination, he noted that most of other students were quietly chatting in groups over newspapers, who were discussing KID's last night's heist notice. Saguru sighed heavily, sitting at his desk, hoping that he would manage to talk with the magician. Unsurprisingly, the prankster seemed to be very busy on that day – either doing his antics, or escaping from his enraged schoolmates. On the bright side, Hakuba didn't get his hair color changed on that day.

He was just about to make his last attempt to talk with the magician after the last lesson when he noticed Akako approach Kaito. He saw Kuroba apologize to Aoko and quickly left with the beauty. Hakuba knew he probably shouldn't pry into their matters, but something he noticed on Kaito's expression stirred up his curiosity. He took his time to pack his things, so nobody would notice when he followed the pair. Unfortunately, when he decided it was safe to follow them they already disappeared from the corridor. He was sure he would find them on the roof, but once he got there he surprised another couple making out. Blushing madly, he apologized and shut the door escaping the roof. He was on his way out, deciding that it might be better to not know what business with each other his two classmates have when he overheard familiar, drowned voices coming from a classroom he's been passing by. He stopped by the door recognizing slight anger in Kaito's growl.

_"_ _That was not the deal we had!"_

_"_ _I wouldn't be asking for your permission, if it was."_ Akako huffed. _"But you know you will profit if we do it. You must be curious-"_

The magician didn't let her finish and cut her off. _"I said 'no' already, so give it a rest. I'm not going through anymore torture just to satisfy you."_

_"_ _But you must admit that you would have been in quite the trouble if it wasn't for my help."_ She pointed out with annoyance.

He snorted mockingly _"That's why I complied with your request, despite that you did it all against my will. Anyway, you're not going to convince me, so leave it."_

Hakuba heard the girl move towards the door, so he rushed towards another classroom, to prevent getting noticed by the pair. He heard them exchange a few more words, but he couldn't make out what they said. A few moments later, he noticed Kuroba storm next to the classroom he hid himself in, towards the exit. He sighed with relief that the magician didn't notice him, when the door suddenly opened and he found himself looking straight into mesmerizing red eyes. He felt a blush rise on his cheeks and found himself unable to form any words, his mind gravitating to the fact that he was alone with the beauty, and the images he saw on the roof. He did try to shove them away, but it seemed to be a wasted effort. Akako chuckled and went inside, closing the door behind her. She placed her arms on his shoulders, causing the detective to freeze, unable to believe it was reality. She leaned towards him and purred to his ear, casing his brain to melt.

"My, my… Aren't you the curious little mouse~ Mind telling me what have you heard~?"

He closed his eyes, cherishing the sensation of her hot breath on his skin, and spoke without even thinking about the words that flew from his mouth.

"Kuroba didn't agree for you to do something to him, despite that you helped him dearly. Do you want me to convince him for you..?" He asked, eager to please the beautiful woman.

She hummed, causing goose bumps on his skin. "No, I think I would prefer you to keep away from this. Could you do that for me~?"

A quiet voice at the back of his head screamed at him to snap out of it, but he ignored it. "Yes, anything…" He swallowed hard. "I'll do anything you ask of me."

She chuckled and brushed her lips slightly on his cheek, pulling away. "That's what I wanted to hear~" She crossed her arms loosely over her chest looked him up with narrowed eyes. "You do care for him, don't you?"

"I care only for you…" He confessed, making a step towards her, but she raised an arm and stopped him.

"Obviously, but that's not what I meant." Her voice lacked the seductive tones and that somewhat sobered the Brit. "You don't want to catch him anymore, do you?"

He blinked a couple of times and finally managed to look away from the girl. "I um… Do you..?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, I am aware of who he is, for even longer than you did. So there is no need for you to hide that fact from me. Could you now answer the question, please~?"

He looked at her, highly surprised at how casually she spoke of it and wondered why he felt it was alright to be honest with her. "Yes, I see him as a friend and don't want him to get hurt. But he is stubborn…"

"Unfortunately he is. Well, no matter. I wish you luck in bringing down his defenses, I earnestly hope you can manage that and in the mean time forget about what you've just heard, alright~? I have no ill intentions against him, just like you."

Hakuba frowned at her, unsure what to think about it, but found himself giving a nod despite it. She smiled gently and turned around, exiting the classroom. He stayed there a while longer, trying to sort out his confusion. Part of him wanted nothing more than to forget the whole thing just to please Akako, but his detective nature was fighting against it, eager to unravel what it was about. Partially, he felt angered with Kuroba that he refused the beautiful mistress anything she wanted from him, while at the same time he was worried about what she done to the magician, that he called it a torture. He fought hard to push away any images of the couple in a… intimate situation. He shook his head and exited the school. He called Nakamori to inform him that he wouldn't be able to get to the station this day, without giving any explanation and wrote a similar text to Kudo, before turning off his phone. He couldn't spare any thought even loosely connected to the magician or the beauty. To prevent it, he went back home to focus on any cold case files he could find.


	26. Back on the track

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was actually to be a part of the previous chapter, so not much happening here - besides the heist riddle solution being shown~

Saguru worked over a case till dawn and was rather happy with the few points he found in it, that should lead to closing it. He would prefer to see it to the end, but unfortunately he still had his school responsibilities, so he sent his notes back to the station.

At school he found himself staring at his red-eyed classmate and fighting the urge to join the crowd surrounding her. He managed to snap out of his daze after getting struck with a juggling ball on the back of his head. Hakuba wanted to complain to Kuroba for this, but he noticed that the magician wasn't looking at him. He was glaring with annoyance and slight anger at Akako, who simply smirked at him and looked away, causing the Brit to be able to shove away the need to be near her. This made Saguru wonder. He looked around the class and recalled that for as long as he knew, everybody in school seemed to have a crush on the beauty. He himself never felt so strongly drawn to her until yesterday and was able to simply admire her from the distance. But nearly every other male student (and a few female) followed her with adoration. Except for Kuroba. And it didn't seem to be just a play of emotions, displayed on his Poker Face, like he thought before.

Sighing heavily, he figured that it had something to do with what he overheard the day before, so unwillingly he left the thought alone, fearing that dwelling on it might displease Akako. A small part of him was somewhat grateful to the magician for his interference, but the need to keep his distance from the whole matter was still there.

* * *

There was a burst of confetti when the bell rang, announcing the end of their last lesson. It covered the magician and unsurprisingly allowed him to vanish during the little commotion.

Ignoring it, Saguru was calmly packing his belongings when Aoko approached him. He noted an uncommonly careful expression on her.

"Hakuba-kun, do you have time after school maybe? There's something Aoko would like to talk to you about." She explained quietly, like she was afraid that somebody might overhear her.

The detective raised an eyebrow, wondering what it was about and gave her a slight nod. "Yes, I promised to pick up Conan-kun from school, but I could excuse myself, if there is a need for it." He offered, speaking as quietly as she was.

She shook her head and smiled. "No need, Aoko can walk you there, if you don't mind? Where does Conan-kun attend to?"

"I don't mind." He answered with a smile, picking up his backpack. "He attends Teitan Elementary, so we will have to take a bus."

She hesitated just a brief moment, before giving a nod. Hakuba might have not given it any attention, if he wasn't used to spotting things like that on Kaito. "We'll talk when we get off, alright?"

So she didn't want to be overheard. And there was only one person she could be using such precautions against. He agreed to those terms easily and left the school with her. They chatted idly, while the detective secretly studied the girl, wondering what was on her mind. She did seem slightly nervous and a couple of times looked around warily, as if to try and see if they weren't observed or followed. But at the same time she appeared… giddy? That was probably the best description of it. So most likely not scared, or worried, but rather planning something that involved Kaito and was supposed to be a secret from him. So when they left the bus and started walking, he glanced around and sighed.

"So Aoko-kun, what is your plan? How much will Kuroba hate me for helping you?" He asked with a smirk.

She gasped and stopped briefly, but soon after started laughing. "Aoko should have known Hakuba-kun would figure it out, but don't worry. Hopefully Kaito won't hate either of us. You see…" She looked around suspiciously, lowering her voice. "Kaito is having his birthday next week. He never really celebrates them, since on that day he always goes to his father's grave, but this will be his 18th birthday! So Aoko thought of making a surprise party on the day before. His birthday is on the 21st, which is Sunday and Saturday would be better for it anyway. So the party won't mess with his habit and Aoko wants to show him how much we're happy for him. Aoko already told Jii-san about this and he promised to help organize everything in his parlor. Aoko wanted to invite you and… well, ask about Hattori-kun. Aoko noticed that last week you three hanged out together and Aoko was wondering if he was a friend of Kaito…" She averted her gaze and added sadly. "Kaito doesn't tell Aoko a lot of things lately…"

Saguru held back a wince. He should have figured that she would notice them hanging out with the magician and how she could feel about being kept in the dark. Anyway, he was surprised with himself that he earnestly forgot about Kaito's birthday. Which was surprising, considering how he usually was precise with the time. But, well… lately there was a lot on his mind. He smiled warmly at the girl.

"I'm honored you want to invite me. I would love to come." He sighed heavily and turned his gaze forward as they walked. "As for Hattori-kun, well… It's hard to say actually. He indeed enjoys Kuroba's presence and as far as I can tell, the feeling is mutual. They seem to be able to find a common language. But I can't say if Kuroba sees him as a friend. But I do know that Hattori-kun wants to achieve that."

She smiled in return and gave a nod. "Do you think he could come next weekend?"

"I'll ask him. So? Do you have a plan for this surprise party?" He asked, turning his gaze back to her, stopping before the school gates.

"Well-" She started, but was cut off by a surprised small girl's voice.

"Huh? Saguru-oniisan, why is Ran-oneechan with you?" Aoko turned to the source of the voice, noticing a girl, followed by three boys.

"Ah! Aoko-neechan, I didn't expect you here! Hi Saguru-niisan." The shrunken detective stepped in, greeting the two and clearing the misunderstanding.

"Huh? So she's not Ran-san?" Mitsuhiko asked stunned, while looking at the girl in question.

Nakamori giggled. "We do look alike, don't we? My name is Nakamori Aoko, I'm Hakuba-kun's classmate. It's nice to meet you~" She greeted the kids.

The children introduced themselves and Ayumi said with a smile. "Sorry for mistaking you! What were you talking about? I hope we didn't interrupt you two."

"No, of course not. I tagged along with Hakuba-kun because I wanted to talk with him about our friend's surprise birthday party."

Genta gasped as his eyes sparkled. "A birthday party? Have you already picked the cake? You have to have a huge one, you know, otherwise it won't be a good party!"

Shinichi laughed dryly. "Yeah… I'm sure Kaito-niisan would agree with you… He'd probably want a chocolate one."

"Mmm~ I'd like to eat a chocolate cake…" The fat boy mumbled, nearly drooling at the thought.

"You always want to eat, Genta…" Mitsuhiko said rolling his eyes and turned to his bespectacled friend. "Conan-kun, do you know who they are talking about? Is he also a detective?"

The two detectives held back a laugh, but Aoko didn't. "You couldn't be further away from the truth. He's a no-good prankster and a magician."

"Oh~!" Ayumi cheered, with her eyes sparkling. "I love magic~! Is he good at it? Neechan, do you think you could get him to show us some?" She pleaded the teen, then turned to Conan and mumbled with envy. "You always get to meet the coolest people…"

Nakamori laughed cheerfully. "Aoko is sure Kaito would love to show you his magic~ He really enjoys performing for children. Oh~!" She clapped her hands and turned to Saguru. "That's it~! We could get him to show off for the kids, while the rest of us finish the preparations! He'll have his fun, won't suspect a thing and we'll be sure to have him occupied~! It's perfect!" Grinning, she leaned to the children. "So? Would you like to help us out~?"

The grade schoolers cheered and Conan snorted, holding back his amusement. Given it would be them involved, KID would suspect something was going on, but it was doubtful he could figure out what it was really about. He'd be probably more occupied with explaining why he looks similar to Shinichi, to not have his cover blown, by mere children.

Hakuba smirked, coming to a similar conclusion. "Alright, now all we need is a valid reason for him to come and be willing to stay long enough. Any ideas?" He asked the children, knowing all too well how happy it would make them to be questioned about their opinion.

Mitsuhiko prompted his chin and hummed. "Well, it would be helpful if you described him to us a bit."

"We also need to discuss the cake." Genta pointed out with an all-knowing tone. "I know a great place where you can buy the best ones! We should go there and try out some!"

"Genta-kun!" Ayumi cried out. "Is food all you can think of?"

"But I'm hungry… And the cake is the most important part of the birthday party…"

Aoko laughed, having a sweet tooth herself. "I agree it's a good idea~ We could discuss the details over cake~ What do you say?"

The children cheered again, agreeing to the idea easily. Genta led them towards the café he was talking about and during the walk Aoko started describing Kaito to them. Saguru and Conan were following them a bit further away, so they could whisper to each other, unnoticed by the group.

"So did something happen yesterday? It's not usual for you to disappear like that." The boy asked with slight worry in his tone.

Hakuba grimaced slightly, unwilling to talk about the topic or lie about it. "It was… something personal. I'm sorry for having you worry."

Shinichi shook his head. "Sorry for prying. Anything new about the riddle?"

The Brit sighed heavily and shook his head. "Not really. They did find out about an exhibition of 'Winter Glory' set. It's a heavily diamond encrusted necklace with earrings. Beautiful and expensive, but doesn't have a big gem included, so I doubt he would be targeting it. And nothing about the 'Eye of the Tempest', so unless we're missing something in the riddle, it's not it either."

Conan pushed up his glasses. "Maybe we're looking at the riddle from the wrong angle? He sure did get it hard this time… Did you get maybe to try to get something out of him?"

"No, I'm afraid he was rather busy and I expect him to be, at least until we solve it ourselves. I don't know… maybe the tip is the reason why he decided to give the notice through the TV station? I still don't understand why he did it this way…"

"Oh, that one is easy. It was an invitation for me." Hakuba raised an eyebrow, showing his interest, so Shinichi continued. "You see, Kogoro-ojisan is an avid gambler. He is bound to watch everything about horse races and at the time I was at the agency, so it was very probable that I would hear when KID interrupted the show."

"I see… But I doubt it's a clue for the riddle itself then. Unless it was aimed only for you." Hakuba concluded, eyeing the group before them carefully, but they were still busy with their conversation, the children throwing in ideas of how to make Kaito stay with them.

"My thoughts exactly, but nothing came in mind, so it still didn't help solving it… Hattori called me yesterday. He heard about the notice and we talked a bit. We figured that another target name hint could be the 'dawn', but that would also mean that he already promises to return it. Seemingly on Sunday. But it doesn't make any sense, since he doesn't know if it's the thing he's looking for. He could be assuming that it won't be, but then why bother with the heist at all?" The boy mumbled his thoughts out loud, more to himself than his fellow detective, who gasped and stopped briefly.

"You're right!" He leaned to the child, shooting a glance at Aoko, to make sure she didn't hear him and spoke with rushed whisper. "Kuroba has apparently a habit of going to his father's grave on the 21st, which is Sunday this year. And if I remember correctly, the first grand jewel the previous KID stole was named 'The Morning Shine'. What if this year he wants to bring it to him as a tribute or something like that?"

"And since his father stole it already, it's very unlikely that it will be whatever he seeks. Then 'the wettest time' is the date he will strike. It was weird that the riddle didn't say 'when the sun comes up', so he's referring to the origin of the week days names, where the 'sun' means Sunday." Conan mumbled and grinned as his leans reflected light. "So it's going to be midnight on the next week's Wednesday. The names of the week, as we know them come from the five Chinese elements, plus the Moon and Sun. For Wednesday, its element is water. What's more, water also symbolizes midnight and in traditional Japanese June was called Minazuki – 'Month of Water'. So the middle of this month's Wednesday on midnight would be the wettest time, even if there is no actual water." He chuckled shaking his head. "We thought this out with Hattori, but ruled it out since we couldn't understand why he would say that he will return it. Now it makes perfect sense."

"I'm surprised I haven't thought of that myself." Hakuba sighed wearily. "And I never expected him to promise to return his prize either. So I guess the third line will be describing his trick of the day."

The boy hummed in confirmation while nodding. "It would be the best Nakamori if prepared for a black-out. The only thing I'm not sure what to think about is why he wanted my attention for it… And why hint us that this time it has a personal meaning to him…"

"Maybe to make sure that we didn't try and take it away from him on the heist." Saguru suggested with a low voice, eyeing the group before them. "Meaning we probably shouldn't attend to it this time."

As they were nearing the café, Conan didn't answer, only giving a thoughtful hum in return. Both kept wondering about it later, while making plans with Aoko and the children for the surprise before birthday party.

* * *

It was somewhat amusing for Saguru to notice surprise on Shinichi's face as he learned that actually Kaito wasn't such a sweet tooth as he might have appeared to be. The same mistake that Hakuba himself made at the beginning. But it didn't take long for him to discover that in reality the magician usually gave away his sweets and ate only a little himself, unless he needed to restore his energy fast.

Hakuba regretted a bit that there wasn't really a way to get the shrunken detective invited to the party, but then the other kids would have to be invited as well in that case. It would be very hard to explain to other attendants since it definitely didn't sound like and appealing idea for the 18th birthday. He only hoped that Conan didn't mind.

The meeting didn't last long afterwards, but unfortunately the kids were rather persistent in taking their small detective friend with them to discuss the diversion plan and search for a case. So, since Shinichi and Saguru already managed to briefly discuss the most pressing topic, they silently agreed to postpone their meeting and determine the details on the phone later on. When they parted, Hakuba walked Aoko to the bus, then he took one that would get him to the police station, where he could make sure the Kaitou KID Task Force wouldn't be going to Hokkaido or Ishioka this weekend.

* * *

Since the meeting with the children took longer than expected, it was already getting late when Hakuba reached the station. There he was warmly greeted by a few officers, who were calmly occupied with their tasks. Some other showed him knowing grins. This and the lack of a rush there indicated that Nakamori and his team somehow figured that there wouldn't be a heist during this weekend. Intrigued about what the officers understood from the riddle, the detective directed his steps towards the inspector's office.

He received a usual grumble of an invitation after knocking on the door, so he entered with a polite apology for disturbing the officer. Nakamori tried to hide his grin when he saw the detective and Saguru acted as if he didn't notice it.

"Ah Hakuba-kun! Thought we wouldn't be seeing you around anytime soon."

"I apologize for my absence yesterday I-" Saguru started but got cut off by the inspector, who just waved a hand at that.

"No need, you are not obliged to be here anyway. So? What brings you to my office? Still struggling with the riddle?" The keibu teased, clearly in good mood.

"Actually I've solved it and from what I see you did as well?"

"Of course. We're specialists when it comes to Kaitou KID after all." Nakamori gave a proud smirk. "Wednesday midnight, target is a large topaz called "The Morning Shine" displayed at Senso-ji temple, near Sumida river bank in Asakusa district. Seems it's a part of a goddess statue there. He'll use some light tricks this time. We only don't understand still why he announced that he would be returning it." The inspector grimaced but seemed to be ready to dismiss the matter.

"Who knows. He might have said that only to leave a hint about Wednesday." Hakuba offered with a shrug, unwilling to let Nakamori make a connection with the importance of Sunday for a certain magician he knew.

"Probably so... Will you be attending the heist?" The man asked with mild interest.

The teen shook his head. "Unfortunately not. I'd hate to stay up so long during school week as the exams are nearing."

"Mhm, good attitude. Well? You need anything else?" The inspector asked with slight impatience.

"No. I'll be in the archives if you need me."

Nakamori gave a hum of confirmation and returned to the papers he's been looking into before Hakuba came in, so the detective excused himself and left the man alone.

Having the riddle solved Saguru was able to focus again on his theories about the previous heist. He just needed to find something to confirm it.


	27. Drawn with laughter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter I proudly present you a pleasant weekend, preceded by a small review of both Kaito's and Conan's fun and games, hope you'll enjoy this~

After giving it much thought Kaito decided to see what he could do to help Tantei-kun. His plan was risky, but after his talk with Tantei-han he wanted to act as soon as possible, since it was clear that time was running out for Kudo Shinichi, and soon there wouldn't be a point for him to return. Unfortunately all the preparations he needed for this to work out equaled him having a very busy week. Not to mention the coming weekend's promise to Hattori. And the next week wouldn't be much better, especially with the incoming heist. Only to start the sneaking around right afterwards... Hopefully without getting caught or noticed in the process.

Fortunately, beside of a sole bicker with Akako, he didn't have any problems in his civil life and was left to his own schemes. Hakuba seemed satisfied with just observing from afar, which conveniently left him unable to notice any of the interesting stuff.

Kaito was somewhat worried about the witch's sudden focus on the Brit and he just hoped she wouldn't try to use him to force the magician to agree on the additional magic tests, or anything like that. Even without mentioning that it appeared that only physical spells affected him, so those attempts really weren't fun, he really couldn't be bothered with that now. Besides he didn't want the witch to find a way to control him. It was bad enough when she used the voodoo dolls, like last time when she forced him to go to her. Seriously… couldn't she use a phone like normal human being?

Focused on his thoughts, he nearly failed to notice Hakuba approaching him during Friday's lunch break. The magician crooked his head, while hanging upside down from a tree branch in the school yard. Because of a tiny squabble he had earlier with Aoko and a few other female classmates (they really should learn and get better padlocks in their locker room - why they never listened to him? Not that it could stop him anyway. Kekeke…), the girl wasn't around and other students in the yard stood in groups, busy with discussing after school and weekend plans.

"Do you have a moment, Kuroba?" The Brit asked politely, unfazed by the other teen's uncommon sitting choice.

Kaito snickered slightly. This was probably the silliest question the detective could have asked, so he couldn't quite help himself answering with a wide grin. "Well, as you can clearly see, I'm very busy actually~"

Hakuba snorted with amusement and rolled his eyes. "Yes, clearly. So anyway, I just wanted to inform you that I'm meeting with Conan-kun this Saturday at the river bank and we would be glad if you decided to join us."

The magician raised an eyebrow and let himself slip from the tree branch, falling down with a flip and landing on his feet. "And why would that interest me~?" He asked, half expecting the reason to be that they wanted to see him was the riddle.

He wondered if he didn't make it too hard this time. He didn't have much time to listen to the conclusions made at the station, but when he heard that they are suspecting him to go to Hokkaido, he got a bit worried. It would be surely amusing to have the Task Force running around the whole Japan, but for one, it would humiliate them a tiny bit too much and secondly, there wouldn't be anyone to admire his trick. And he did think of a little beauty this time around. Would be a waste to not have anybody to show it to.

Internally, Kaito sighed. He definitely should have taken more time to think his words through and figure out all of the possible solutions, before saying it on air. The problem was that initially he didn't even intend to make it a riddle at all. He wanted to give the police a week off and then send a regular notice a day before the heist. But he had a promise to fulfill and decided to add a little bonus and give Tantei-kun some distraction for a while during the week as well. So he had to act fast and was more focused on getting into the Nichiuri TV station without getting caught in the process. He figured that his favorite critics could get the riddle right even if it was a bit rushed. But he might have overestimated them a little.

Saguru shrugged nonchalantly at that. "No reason at all, I guess." He answered with a smirk. "Just thought you might want to know."

Now wasn't that interesting? Hakuba was attempting to jest and he was giving an open invitation, instead of a persistent one. And given that Kaito was going to stalk and keep the shrimp occupied this weekend anyway, it wouldn't be bad to play along. He did want to keep his distance from the detectives, but given how much he had to shoulder now, he really didn't want to make this harder for himself than he needed to. He could also use this opportunity to find out what they figured out from the riddle and pass on a few hints, if they've gotten it wrong. The magician tucked his hands in his pockets and mirrored Saguru's smirk.

"Well, depending on the hour, I just might tag along for a bit then."

"Great. We'll be meeting at 10 AM., but I'm not sure where will be going afterwards. So if you'd like to join us later… I guess you have my number?"

"Sure thing~" Came the response, but before Kaito could say anything more the bell rang, announcing the end of the break, so instead they headed out back to the classroom.

* * *

Shinichi had yet another annoyingly plain week. Thankfully to KID, he had at least something amusing to focus on for a few days, for which he was silently grateful. He wasn't very happy with Hakuba's conclusion that they shouldn't be going to the heist, since he was looking forward to it, but it did seem to be correct. So he reluctantly agreed to the idea. To secure having free time during the weekend, he decided to spend the most of his time after school with the Detective Boys, so they wouldn't be too clingy later on and he could have some time without being Conan.

He did stumble on three cases during the week, but despite how it occupied his mind, it wasn't anything he would ever call 'fun'. Especially since those were murder cases. Shinichi was slightly worried about his little friends tagging along with him on those, but there wasn't much he could have done to prevent that.

In order to judge their progress with Kuroba and to make it up to themselves for missing the heist, the two detectives decided to meet with the magician during the weekend, by giving him an open invitation. Shinichi wasn't sure how it would work out, but to his pleasant surprise the Brit managed to get KID's approval to spend some time with them on Saturday, so all that was left was to wait.

School was boring as always. More so since for some reason Haibara decided to stay home, due to being 'sick'. Like he would ever believe that after seeing the girl the previous weekend. But of course she didn't offer any explanation. Hoping that she was onto something with the antidote, the detective decided to leave her alone. Especially since the professor told him in secret that she was locking herself in the laboratory. Unfortunately the kids at school for some time now returned to teasing him for being the shortest boy in class. Not that it really bothered him and the Detective Boys did the best they could to defend him. He remembered that he was slow to grow during his first childhood, but couldn't quite recall if it was this slow. Well… there was scientific evidence that often the new generation was higher than the older one, although he wasn't sure if it was valid for only 10 year gap. He somehow doubted that, but it did bring a little consolation.

* * *

Finally the long awaited weekend came. Ran didn't oppose him leaving the house for the whole day, having her convinced that he would spend it with the Detective Boys and eat at Agasa's. It was disturbingly easy for him to lie to her now, but he tried not to think about it too much. He needed some time to be himself and couldn't really deny himself the opportunity. Without wasting any time, he rode his sun-powered skateboard and traveled to the spot by the river in Ekoda, where they met with Kaito already once. He enjoyed the little freedom and independence this device provided him, since that this way nobody asked him for his guardians, as it often happened when he traveled by bus or train.

Despite the longer route he took to get there, he expected to be the first one, but as he hopped off his skateboard, he noticed a dozing figure on the slope. Closer inspection confirmed that it was the magician. He was wondering if the teen was actually sleeping and whether he would be able to startle him, when the person in question stretched and spoke with a lazy tone.

"Hiyah Chibi, you're early." He yawned and opened his eyes, focusing his gaze on the detective.

Shinichi didn't let the annoyance he felt for the nickname show on his face, but somehow had the feeling Kaito knew about it anyway. "Hey thief." He responded with his own tease and smirked. "You're the one who's early. Didn't get much sleep last night?" He asked as he stopped by the teen.

"The weather is nice, just asking for a nap~ And despite the common belief I like to be early on my appointments whenever I can. I just don't tend to show up till the last second~" He answered and closed his eyes. "Hakuba should be here in about five to seven minutes." He added lazily.

"How do you know that?"

"It's his habit to come around five to seven minutes before the appointed time. And he hates to break any of his habits, especially those regarding time." He answered with a smirk, with his eyes still closed.

Kuroba's calm and how talkative he seemed to be was somewhat surprising for Shinichi. Although, while one on one, the kaitou rarely shown wariness towards him, the detective always felt like it was there, hidden under the Poker Face. And the thief always preferred to be enigmatic, rather than straightforward. The detective felt the urge to do something to check if the magician wasn't actually observing him somehow or, if he would answer more personal questions, but decided to leave it for now. He sat beside Kaito and turned his gaze to the water, taking in a slow breath.

"I like it here." He admitted peacefully.

"Mm~ Me too~ I used to come here a lot to practice my tricks or just chill like this."

"But you don't anymore." Kudo observed, before he could bite his tongue.

But it didn't seem to bother the magician who answered calmly. "I still get to pass here on my way from school. Not much free time beside it."

Shinichi gave a hum of confirmation, idly wondering what the kaitou would be doing now if he didn't agree to meet with them. And why he agreed if he really was so busy.

Neither of them spoke, keeping up the comfortable silence between them for the next few minutes, until Saguru came.

* * *

"Oh hello, I'm sorry to have kept you two waiting." The Brit apologized, slightly taken aback to notice that he was the last one to show up.

Conan turned to him with a small smile. "Don't worry, we were just early. Nice to see you too."

Kaito sighed lightly and cracked his eyelids open, moving his gaze to Hakuba, without getting up. "Alright, so what did you guys want from me this time?"

Saguru raised an eyebrow, moving his gaze to his classmate and shrugged. "Nothing in particular. I thought I made it clear. I'm sorry if I've gotten you confused."

The magician resisted the urge to narrow his eyes, unsure whether to believe the other teen. He did seem sincere. So maybe Kaito has gotten it wrong and they didn't yet give up on him after all? Despite how troublesome it was, it gave the kaitou a warm feeling in his chest. He tried to ignore it. Outwardly, he gave a thoughtful hum and got up from his resting place, while wondering how to maneuver the conversation to the riddle, without actually showing how interested he was in the topic.

"Alright. And you don't have any specific place you wanted to go to?" He asked with light tone.

"Not necessarily. But I did think of going to the Senso-ji temple, if you guys don't mind? Wanted to get a look around there."

Conan shrugged at that and secretly eyed the magician, who held back his smirk, noticing the motion, keeping up a neutral expression.

"I don't mind either. Which one?" He asked casually, already walking back to the path over the slope.

"Thank you. I meant the one in Asakusa district. I wanted to take a look there later, but figured it would be nice to have company."

Kaito gave a nod, slowly walking towards the train station, inwardly grinning at his critics. So they did unravel his riddle, huh? And since there was no rain forecast (and heavens thank that!), it was most likely that they got the time correct as well. At least he didn't have to bother now with poking Nakamori for clues of what he had on the riddle.

* * *

The walk wasn't long, but it was enough for Kaito to play a bit with his antics. During the walk and train ride, he managed to dazzle a woman he bumped into with his charm while walking backwards on his hands, conjure four flowers, some confetti, two doves and a very surprised dog, who ran away to his owner afterwards, and made other minor tricks like that. He also made quite a few people certain that Conan was actually his little brother and a voluntary assistant. Eventually the detective gave up on smoothing his hair down.

Shinichi figured that the magician was like a laughing force of nature. Or rather an overjoyed and clueless puppy, who occasionally peed on the floor. The thing was that it seemed nearly impossible to stop him from what he decided to do, but at the same time he somehow managed to spread his cheerfulness on others, so it was hard to really stay mad at him. On the other hand, getting mad was rather easy.

Conan also learned fast that spacing out in Kaito's reach was just asking for trouble and to get pulled into a trick or prank. That put the detective in a state of a heightened alertness, but the kind that didn't wear him out at all. If anything, it made him excited, eager to spot and try to prevent another trick before it happened. Similar to what he felt on a heist.

What was more, Shinichi noticed that Saguru seemed more at ease around the magician as well. He was of course irked occasionally with his tricks, but at the same time, he was simply having fun. Most likely because Kaito fooling around did pull a lot of attention to himself, which encouraged others to be themselves as well. Without any worry of being judged or rejected by anyone. And the genuine smile the magician gave when you laughed sincerely was simply contagious.

* * *

At the temple grounds itself, Kaito was relatively calm, narrowing his activity to chatter and looking around. He acted as if he was there for the first time and came for sightseeing and to pay his respects to the goddess. Not that Shinichi expected anything else from the thief, but he was wondering if his calm acting was caused from actual respect towards the goddess or he was simply being polite.

Eventually they approached the statue decorated with the large topaz, which was the target of the next heist. Kaito didn't give it more attention than anybody else, but Saguru clearly wanted to make him react somehow.

"So this is KID's next target?" He said quietly with interest in his tone.

The magician eyes snapped towards the Brit, turning huge and round with genuine surprise and delight.

"Eeeh?! Really?! Kaitou KID-sama is going to steal this gem?!" He shrieked with shock, turning back to the statue to take a better look at the target.

His act was so genuine that it could have fooled anyone who didn't know that he was KID. Shinichi sighed heavily and pinched his nose bridge, noticing how much attention Kaito gained by this outburst. Hakuba just settled for an unimpressed stare at his stunned classmate. The place was rather busy and now most people were giving out excided whispers and squeezed themselves to take a better look at the future target. The detectives should have suspected the kaitou would want to get as much attention as he could for his heist.

Eventually Kaito backed away from the display and turned to Saguru with a smile. "Nee? So when will the heist be~?" He asked without lowering his voice and Shinichi noticed people quieting around them to hear the answer.

Hakuba grimaced slightly, not very pleased with the outcome. "Don't tell me you don't know when 'the wettest time where no drop falls' is?" He asked teasingly.

"No clue. When?" Came an immediate response, which made Shinichi flinch.

The Brit looked like he didn't know whether to laugh or yell at the outrageous magician, but eventually he just sighed, keeping his cool, and closed his eyes briefly. "Wednesday midnight." He answered, willing to only end this charade.

The familiar grin was the only indication that the solution was correct. "Ooh~ That's the famous detective for ya~ Solving such a difficult riddle~"

Hakuba snorted and smirked at the magician. "I wouldn't call it difficult. If anything, it was rather dull..."

Now it was Kaito's turn to give an unimpressed glare and Conan groaned inwardly, fearing the next riddle the kaitou would prepare to challenge the detective. But despite the ire he chuckled to himself, seeing the amusement shared by both of the teens, at least they were all starting to get along. Whispers around them shifted with heightened excitement as people started making arrangements to be able to attend the heist. Shinichi noticed quite a few of them busy themselves with their phones, either writing messages or making phone calls. The magician didn't even try to hide his satisfaction, which at the same time seemed to amuse and irritate the other teen.

"But seriously. Who would expect KID to have so little respect for the gods. Or maybe it's only that this is the goddess of mercy that he decided to take his chances?" The Brit teased again, as they were slowly walking away from the gathering.

Kaito smirked at that. "As his biggest fan, I wouldn't expect him to bow to any god. Well, maybe except Lady Luck, who seems to favor him~"

"Pff... biggest fan my ass..." A mocking voice behind them laughed at the magician.

Shinichi turned around to see the most probable future victim of Kaito's prank, before his appearance might get changed dramatically by the prankster. It was a 14-15 year old bespectacled boy with a haughty grimace, trying to look down at the slightly higher kaitou, who turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" He asked with a polite, but taunting tone that made all of the Ekoda High students and teachers run for cover.

His newest victim clearly didn't have much self-preservation instinct, because he only huffed at the magician and answered. "I said that you're no fan of Kaitou KID-sama."

"And what makes you say that?" KID asked, tucking his hands in his pockets which were most likely filled with his tools.

Both detectives unconsciously took a step away to not get caught in whatever would be unleashed at the unaware boy.

The future victim rolled his eyes. "Because you clearly think that he is human."

Kaito blinked at that, somewhat surprised and suddenly interested. "Oh? And what do you think he is~?"

"A kitsune, of course." Came the obvious answer followed by a snort. "Such a big ass fan you are. I bet you haven't even seen him up close."

It was getting hard for the detectives to keep only mild interest on their faces.

"And you have~?" The magician visibly relaxed, hiding his amusement under his Poker Face, but not doing his best job with it.

"Sure I have. And I even caught a glimpse of his tails, so I know for sure!"

"Tails? As in plural?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and muttered to himself quietly, but loud enough for the detectives to hear. "Now how did I never notice that?"

Shinichi bit his tongue to keep his laughter in and felt his cheeks burn from holding it all back. He noticed Saguru turning around to hide his face, but it seemed that the boy failed to notice anything, as he only rolled his eyes and answered with a huff.

"Yeah! Did you expect him to be anything less than a kyubi?"

"It does make sense when you put it that way." Kaito agreed seriously, after giving it some thought. "And I guess his fur is white?"

"Sure it is! And this is why nobody can catch him! Ha! And the police are just stupid to even attempt it!"

"Sooo... he's really an at least thousand year old fox and a harbinger of destruction?" The magician clarified, recalling shreds of common lore to his clear amusement.

"You don't have to believe that if your mind can't comprehend it. As long as we give him tribute, he won't be any danger at all."

"Tribute? Are you in some sort of cult?" Kaito asked, showing great interest and Shinichi was trying not to suffocate.

"I mean the jewels he takes! Jeez! How can you be so stupid? When he gets enough, he'll go back to sleep."

Kuroba gasped as in revelation. "Oh~ That would explain his 8 year absence!"

"Pff... talking with you is such a waste of time." The boy grumbled and walked away.

"Bye~ Thanks for the info~" The magician cheerfully bid his farewell, waving his hand eagerly.

As he was regaining his breath, Conan thought he saw the kaitou throw something at the other boy, but as nothing happened, he dismissed it. Especially since Kaito was grinning and it didn't bode well.

"Don't." Saguru grumbled, as they were walking away and the thief was humming cheerfully to himself.

"But why? I like this melody~ And I don't think I was very loud. Was I?"

The Brit grimaced in annoyance. "It's not what I'm talking about and you know it."

Kuroba rolled his eyes. "Oh come on. I have no idea what you migh-"

Hakuba growled, cutting the magician off. "You're not going to dress up as a kitsune."

Kaito's grin spread as he asked innocently. "Now why would I want to dress up like that~?"

Hakuba huffed remaining calm, as Shinichi did his best to not laugh again, with his stomach starting to hurt really badly. "KID is also not dressing up as a kitsune."

"Why would he dress up like that? It's more like the opposite since he clearly is one~"

"You can't be serious..." The Brit moaned clenching his eyelids tight.

"Why? The guy got me totally convinced~ I mean it explains so much~!" Kaito cheered throwing his arms up.

Hakuba rubbed his temples, begging the goddess of mercy for help. "No. Simply, no. You know as well as I do that if KID will make people believe he is a kitsune, quite a few officers will quit their job. He messes enough with their heads as it is. So just don't..."

Kaito hummed thoughtfully with his eyes still full of mischief, but decided not to answer. Shinichi shook his head in amusement and wondered if and when they would get to see a kitsune KID.

As they kept walking Shinichi felt mildly surprised that Kaito didn't punish the kitsune-theory fan in any way and wondered if the thing he threw wasn't a tracker, so the magician could get his revenge later. But he never expected the kaitou to be this petty. His surprise ended as they were nearing the exit and heard a loud blast behind them. Both detectives jerked around and noticed colorful smoke emerging from above the people behind them. That and the fact that the magician was completely unfazed by the noise easily explained who the culprit was. The laughter from people further away who could probably see the victim was another clue. So was the outraged cry, so similar to the voice of the boy who tried to talk down Kaito. Hakuba sighed heavily and shook his head, attempting to hide his amusement and relief. Shinichi snorted quietly and out of the corner of his eye noticed a satisfied smirk on the kaitou's face. Somehow the shrunken detective started doubting that they would ever see a kitsune KID.

* * *

On their way back, Kuroba played a bit with his phone and found quite a few professionally adjusted photos on the internet showing KID with fox tails that seemed nearly real. A few were subtle enough to give an even better impression. Curiously Shinichi asked Kaito if it was the first time he heard about theories like that. It was surprising for the detective, especially since the magician seemed rather well informed about what people said about his alter ego. The kaitou admitted that he did know about it, but it was his first time actually meeting a fan like that. What's more, he told them it wasn't the only supernatural theory about KID. The other two leading in Japan were of the thief being a tengu or an actual phantom. Shinichi didn't miss a small smile Kaito gave saying about the other theory. In the end he was actually acting as a ghost of his father. Also apparently the USA fans favored a theory of him being an alien.

Surprisingly Kaito stayed with them for the rest of the day and kept them in that mixture of amusement and resignation state. Eventually they went to Hakuba's manor to have a late lunch (or early dinner). The detectives were surprised to learn that somewhere during the week the magician's mother left leaving behind a brief note. Shinichi got worried about it, but Kaito dismissed it with a laugh, explaining that he would be shocked if she actually wanted to bid him farewell.

After they finished their meal, Shinichi proposed a match of chess to the kaitou. The magician seemed surprised at that, but admitted that although he roughly knew the rules, he never actually played the game himself and asked the two detectives to play together instead. So they did. Shinichi had to admit that Saguru was a very difficult opponent, making it an even match. The game took far longer than expected, but surprisingly Kaito didn't seem bored by it. On the contrary, he was observing them playing carefully and the detective could practically see him planning on possible solutions and tactics. That made Shinichi very eager to see the kaitou play. Unfortunately by the time the detectives finished their match (which was won by Kudo), it was rather late and in order to not worry Ran, he had to return to the agency. Since Baaya offered to drive him there, Kaito decided to take his leave.

"So, see you guys tomorrow." He said while putting on his shoes.

Conan blinked at the magician and Saguru asked with surprise in his tone. "You plan on meeting us again Kuroba?"

The kaitou snorted in amusement. "Well, I did promise to play with the squirt, right?"

The Brit frowned slightly, wondering what his classmate was scheming, while Shinichi responded with a snicker, easily accepting the poor excuse. "Hope you'll make the wait worth it."

Kaito snorted. "Watch out who you're challenging kid. I might think of an punishment in case you lose~"

That statement clearly sent off alarms in Hakuba's head, but his fellow detective responded with a grin. "Oh yeah? Then I'll think of one in case you lose."

"I wouldn't count on it if I were you~" Kuroba replied with a grin of his own and grabbed the handle. "I'll pick you up at ten. See ya!" He stated and closed the door behind him.

That left the two detectives blinking. Hakuba opened the door, but unsurprisingly the magician was no longer in sight. He closed the door, just to be rushed out by the old housekeeper. The two spoke again during the ride.

"What do you think he's scheming?" Shinichi asked with mild amusement, actually glad by the outcome.

Saguru sighed and shook his head before answering. "I wish I knew…"

"Do you think he can actually play chess?"

"No idea either." He answered with a grimace and raised an eyebrow glancing at his companion. "You don't seem worried about possible loss?"

Shinichi shrugged at that. "Well, I'd prefer to not have to go through his punishment, but I doubt he'll think of something harsh. He seemed to be having fun today, so I think he just wanted an excuse." He replied with a small smile. "There was also that I wanted to play chess against KID for some time now anyway." He added with a chuckle.

Hakuba let out a laugh. "Well, I do admit that you are very challenging. So I'm afraid that if Kuroba didn't play before, then the match won't be very exciting."

"Thanks, but I wouldn't put it pass him to surprise me nonetheless. Anyway, you are a tough opponent yourself. Do you play often?"

They focused on chatting about chess and wondered about the reason Kaito wanted to pick up Kudo himself. They decided to not go against his wishes, in case there was something the magician wanted to discuss alone.

* * *

Shinichi was mildly surprised and worried when it was already 10 AM and the kaitou was nowhere in sight. Figuring he might be reluctant to actually enter the agency, he decided to leave and wait outside, hoping he wouldn't miss him. The moment he was going to set his foot on the sidewalk from the stair, he got scooped up by the passing, wild haired teen. Walking with past pace, Kaito brought the stunned detective to eyelevel.

"Hiyah Chibi~ Missed me~?" He asked, grinning.

Shinichi gave him a flat stare and grumbled. "You can put me down, you stupid thief." Then he added with a snicker: "I didn't know you were so afraid of Ran."

"Huh? Why would I be scared of her?" The magician asked with genuine innocence, which Conan didn't believe for a second.

The boy sighed, deciding to drop the topic since it would only lead to Kaito denying being KID. "Where's the hurry anyway?" He asked instead, seeing that the teen still didn't put him down and was walking rather fast.

"Would be a bummer if we missed the train. Next will be rather packed most probably."

"Why did you pick this hour then? We could have met earlier, or later."

"Later would be a waste of a day and I didn't want to deprive you of your sleep, by meeting early~ You know that you won't grow properly, if you neglect that~"

That earned Kaito a light kick in the stomach.

* * *

To Shinichi's surprise, they didn't actually talk about anything in particular during their ride to Hakuba. Not that the magician was quiet of course. There was a lot of idle chatter and laughter from him, accompanied by his small antics, which fortunately were rarely directed at the detective and seemed more like something out of habit than anything intentional.

Much as expected, Kuroba turned out to be a very difficult opponent during the game, despite that he did seem to be still a greenhorn with it. The detectives had to correct him a couple of times when he tried a move out of the rules, but it didn't seem he did that in an attempt to cheat. Shinichi at least expected that he wouldn't be so straight forwards with it. It was a long match, but in the end he managed to defeat Kuroba.

With a heavy sigh the magician leaned over his backrest. "I don't like this game. Too little maneuvering space…" He muttered with displeasure.

"You're just saying that because you lost. And now you're going to get punished~" Shinichi pointed out with a snicker.

Kaito winced at that. "Yeah, yeah… So what it will be? Just nothing long term, if you could."

The shrunken sleuth narrowed his eyes. They actually neglected that topic, but it was curious why the kaitou proposed the punishment rule in the first place. It was doubtful from the beginning that he would win, despite how cocky he was. So the question was: why did he want to allow Shinichi to punish him? Hakuba did mention that the magician tended to test him several times already. Was this the same case? Did he want to see what Kudo would do having some power over him?

His musings were interrupted by a cheerful melody from Kaito's direction. With surprise, the magician took out his phone and checked a message on it. He snorted in mild annoyance.

"What is it, Kuroba?" Saguru asked, seeing that his classmate didn't try to cover his reactions to whatever he read.

"Meh, just Ahoko being annoying again." He dismissed it with an eye roll, while apparently writing an answer. "She's plotting something and asked me to meet with her again."

Shinichi held back a cough. "Why do you think she's plotting something?"

Kaito glanced at the boy, considering his answer for a short moment. "I know her long enough and she's too direct." He replied and tucked away his phone.

"You haven't discovered what is it yet?" Saguru asked, trying to sound indifferent about it.

The magician crooked his head at his classmate and answered with a smirk. "Nah~ That would ruin the surprise~"

"So why don't you then go and meet with her as she asked?"

Kaito laughed at that. "What is it with detectives and the interrogation~? You guys want to get rid of me so soon~?"

Hakuba grimaced, feeling scolded, but Shinichi just smirked in return and answered before the Brit managed. "Sorry~ You just tend to stir up curiosity."

The kaitou grinned, clearly taking it as a praise. "As a marvelous magician should~" He answered, grabbing a queen from the board and with a smooth move turning it into a rose.

"So~ As for your punishment…" Kaito winced at those words, while making the flower disappear. "I want you to play another round with Hakuba-kun."

Kuroba blinked in genuine surprise, which for once Shinichi could believe in, and smirked with a shrug. He snapped his fingers and a small smoke cloud covered the board. When it cleared all of the figures were at their starting positions.

"I hope you didn't tinker with them…" Saguru grumbled, while taking the seat Conan freed for him.

Kaito chuckled and answered with a wink. "You'll have to see for yourself~"

Apparently the magician didn't do anything to the chess pieces. Shinichi was amazed to see the progress Kuroba managed to make from their own match. He surely didn't make any of the previous mistakes and pulled Hakuba into a few traps. The game was even longer than the previous one and by the time they finished, Baaya urged them to eat lunch. Much to Kaito's annoyance, Saguru won and was wondering about a penalty for his opponent. The magician argued that he didn't agree to those terms, but eventually admitted that he would've punish the Brit if he had won instead.

This is how after the meal they were headed to the mall to meet up with Aoko. Shinichi supposed that it was fine, since the kaitou was bound to have figured out from their reactions that they were somehow involved in the girl's scheme anyway. In the end, KID was just too good with reading people.

Conan had to admit though that Aoko was easy to read and apparently her goal on that day was to check which of the two cakes they ended up choosing with the kids earlier that week the magician would like better. Another goal seemed to be to choose a present for Kaito. The detective wondered if Kuroba didn't catch up with that, because of course he didn't show anything.

In the end it turned out to be a very pleasant weekend, full of mischief, small pranks, laughs and fun in general. And they did manage to learn a bit about Kuroba as well. It all nearly compensated for not going to the next heist. Nearly.

* * *

Eventually the heist night came. Shinichi was slightly surprised to discover that both Kogoro and he were expected, by the priests to come and protect the 'Morning Light' from the thief. It seemed that the rumor about Conan being the natural enemy of KID reached them somehow. Ran was invited as well and apparently the girl lately heard interesting gossips from Sonoko about marvelous beauty of said place, so she was eager to go there. Unfortunately the shrunken detective already managed to announce that he was feeling ill a day before, so the decision was made that he would stay home. Ran seemed feeling somewhat torn between the need to take care of the child and her desire to go and see a light show made by KID at a nice scenery. In the end Conan managed to convince her to go and not worry about him, claiming that he would go to bed early anyway.

Left alone, Shinichi was keeping himself busy reading some case files delivered to him by Hakuba. In between he did wonder if it wasn't the thief who spread the convenient gossips and if so then how would he react to the lack of his pursuers.

It was already past 1 AM and the detective was already in his futon, trying to fall asleep, when he felt a breeze flew into the room.

"You didn't come to admire my illusion. Even though I prepared such an easy pass for you." The smooth voice had a slight offence in it.

Conan snickered and raised his gaze to the windowsill, unsurprisingly seeing the white clad teen. "Sorry? Didn't want to chase you this time, seeing as it was a personal case this time."

KID's pose relaxed slightly, although the detective didn't notice any tension before. The kaitou crossed his stretched legs on the windowsill and moved his gaze before him. "It always is Meitantei. But thank you for your concern." He answered sincerely.

Shinichi wondered why the thief came. He doubted it was only to moan about his absence, but unsurprisingly the teen's posture or expression didn't give anything away. Not that there was any rush. He settled himself more comfortably, leaning his pillow over a wall behind his back and idly wondered how KID could be comfortable where he was sitting. Most likely he wasn't. The show off...

"So? How did it feel to lay your eyes on the same jewel your father did?" He asked casually.

The kaitou spared him a glance and produced the yellow gem with the flick of his wrist, raising it up in the air, against the moon like he usually did. "Beautiful. As always." He whispered with a mesmerized tone, avoiding the question, but not denying it either. "Have you ever tried looking at it like this?" He asked casually, moving his gaze to the boy.

Shinichi shook his head. He retrieved quite a few gems from KID till now, but he actually never bothered to look at them like this. He never was overly fascinated with lifeless beauty anyway. To his surprise, the kaitou threw him the topaz.

"I thought you wouldn't be returning it before Sunday."

"I'm not. I'm just lending it to you to you admire it for a bit."

This startled Conan slightly, but he figured that there wasn't any harm in it, so he decided to humor the kaitou a bit. He got up from his comfortable spot with a smirk and obediently raised the gem against the moonlight. The play of light on the facets was definitely beautiful and he admired it for a moment, idly wondering what KID hoped to find looking all those jewels like this. He was mildly surprised to see the thief still sitting in the same spot as he lowered the gem. He half expected him to sneak inside when Conan was distracted. He turned the jewel in his fingers considering the situation. He wondered what KID expected him to do now. Or whether he would ask him to return 'The Morning Light'. He figured it was doubtful. More likely KID would simply steal it back. But this wasn't a heist now. They weren't competing and the kaitou was sure to return it after he visited his precursor's grave on Sunday.

Conan smirked slightly, making his decision. "It's beautiful." He admitted and threw the priceless jewel back to the thief who caught it easily, giving in return a small smile that seemed genuine.

"I told you so~" He teased playfully, while making the gem vanish.

"KID..." Shinichi started quietly and sighed. "Could we talk now a-" He cut himself off seeing the kaitou slowly shaking his head.

"Not tonight, Tantei-kun." He answered quietly with an apologetic tone. "This is a magical night. I don't want scary words to stain it. We will talk next time we meet under the moonlit sky and I will help you. Just be patient, alright?"

The detective's eyes widened at this promise, eager to ask what he meant by 'help', but knew better than to ask. So instead he sighed heavily and gave a small nod.

The kaitou moved his gaze to the sky and spoke up with a quiet, casual tone. "Too bad you weren't at the heist today to admire it. Mother Nature truly is by far the best magician. Especially when given a bit of help~"

That earned him a raised eyebrow from Shinichi, who shrugged without voicing a question this statement rose. "I'll see it later on the record." He promised, dismissing the matter.

KID shook his head slowly. "Some of the magic cannot be captured on film, Tantei-kun. Despite how hard you may try." He explained and threw his arm into the room, letting out glitter inside.

Conan sneezed at the powder, whatever it was and gasped as he opened his eyes. Shining between the glitter in the air there were multiple small, bright lights. No, not lights - fireflies, as he corrected himself. He looked around the previously dark room, now illuminated with the gentle glow and smiled to himself. KID probably was right - firefly glow wasn't strong enough for the camera to catch it the way a bare eye did, so if that was the trick he used on the heist, it definitely wouldn't be as magical as it seemed seen in real life. He started regretting more not coming to the heist itself. On open air, this trick most likely looked far better.

After a few moments he turned back to the window, but unsurprisingly the thief was already gone. He moved his gaze back to the magical scene around him, faintly hearing a key quietly opening the door to the apartment. He knew that cleaning up and explaining this all would be a bother later on, but he still appreciated that Kuroba came by to show it to him.


	28. Surprise, surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter I bring you the announced birthday party and a small bonus afterwards~ But before that, a little distraction for our favorite magician ;)

It was rare for Kaito to have his plans go so smoothly outside of a heist. During the weekend, he managed not only to stir the minds of his detectives, but he also had quite a lot of fun with them. And only that. Nearly doing nothing on the sidelines. He felt kind of bad about wasting so much time, just for pleasure, but it was... relieving. Losing in chess wasn't very fun of course, but he liked the game anyway. He was surprised by the mild penalties his detectives gave him. He wondered why they decided to make it that way, but eventually shrugged it off, figuring that they just used the opportunity to make him hang around longer. Anyway, the game surprisingly allowed him to peer into his opponent's thinking process, which he found quite intriguing. He definitely should try and get better with it.

Apart from that, his time at school during the week was very rewarding. He managed to pull all the loose ends, tease his fellow schoolmates, Aoko wasn't trying to seriously brain him out with a mop, Akako kept her distance again and Hakuba disappeared each day fast after class, so Kaito didn't have to sneak around too much. That last thing was probably somewhat worrying, since apparently the Brit spent his time digging around the police archives in search of something, but the magician decided to leave him be. With little luck, he wouldn't have to worry about it anyway.

So, including the successful heist, it was a very busy, but also a highly satisfactory week. Would be more, if his critics actually made it to the event, but he did appreciate their concern. Hopefully the upcoming weekend would grant him well deserved rest and peace of mind. He only regretted that things couldn't stay that way…

* * *

Kaito yawned widely, waking up on Saturday morning. Lazily he looked out through his window, idly wondering how Aoko would decide to kidnap him. Despite his protests, she gave him a present each year and considering her latest attempts, it was rather clear that she was planning on it again. He already told her earlier this week that he would be too busy for her on Sunday, so this day was her only chance. Initially, he was kind of suspicious about his detectives contribution to her scheme, but seeing how they acted during the weekend, she most probably simply told them about her plan and asked to help her ensure that Kaito wouldn't try to slip out of her reach again. The silly girl... He knew how important it was for her. Also, in the end he wouldn't mind to go with her to a cafeteria or spend some quality time with her in any other way, before stuff got serious again. He did neglect her far too much.

After his morning jog and shower he directed his steps to the Nakamoris' for breakfast. It wasn't his habit anymore to do it on weekends, but he occasionally did and decided that this time it could also serve Aoko as a convenient excuse to go on with her plan. Everything started as he expected – some slight teasing with the girl, along with fun conversations with Ginzo and his daughter and eating the tasty breakfast together. After finishing, the inspector left hurryingly for work, leaving the teenagers alone to clean up. Finishing his own meal, Kaito let out a satisfied huff and started gathering the dishes to wash them up. He cast a glance at the girl, who had yet to mention anything about her schemes. The magician decided to give his friend a little push, so after he placed the last tableware into the sink, he asked casually.

"So Aoko~? What are your plans for today?"

She raised an eyebrow at him and smiled in that mocking way the magician knew she did when she thought she was being sly. "Oooh~? Did the great Kaito find time for his long forgotten friend~?" She chuckled and her gaze softened, showing that she was only teasing. "Sorry, Kaito. This time Aoko is busy. Aoko has to write that essay for history lessons. And Keiko asked Aoko to help her tomorrow prepare for the math exam, so Aoko can't put it off."

The magician blinked at her, taken aback. That wasn't what he expected. In fact it was waaay far off from what he expected. Meaning... she was pulling his leg. Yep, that had to be it, especially concerning how giddy she was under the apologetic cover and how she was trying to hide the mischievous glint in her eyes. He held back his smirk and gave her an understanding smile.

"That's alright. Mind if I hang around a bit anyway? My TV is busted and I wanted to watch a program."

The girl shrugged, seemingly indifferent to it. "Sure. Aoko doesn't mind as long as you promise to let Aoko work."

He gasped in shock and gave her a disbelieving stare. "Aoko! Would you really expect me to do anything to pull you away from your very important homework~?"

She gave him a death-glare and grumbled warningly, before heading to her room. "Remember Aoko warned you..."

Kaito chuckled and turned back to the sink to do the dishes, wondering idly when would she give up and try to catch him off guard. In the end, the girl wasn't a very patient person.

* * *

After nearly an hour and a half of fruitless wait, Kaito was getting impatient. Having so much heist experience, it was easy for the kaitou to check up on Aoko without her knowledge, but apparently she was really doing her homework. And this was just wrong. Despite what the girl might think about herself, she wasn't a sly and cunning person. Did his critics have a bad influence on her? That was most probable. He bit back a frustrated groan. He hated wasting time and more importantly, he was looking forward to spending time with her.

Confused with the outcome, Kaito sat on the couch and started musing about the situation. He doubted Aoko would have forgotten about his birthday and there was no way he had misunderstood her intentions. But there was another possibility, wasn't there? Not that he really cared, but it was his 18th birthday and as much as Aoko didn't like changing her habits, she could have planned something special this time. Something bigger than just presenting him a simple gift and spending time together. And the girl did like parties. He snorted. This would also explain better why she decided to involve his detectives in her plan. The question was where said party would be held. He doubted it would be at her house, since out of boredom he superficially looked through the house and didn't find anything suspicious. She wouldn't loan a place just for the occasion, simply because it was too costly. At least Kaito hoped she wouldn't do it. He would feel bad if she did. So that left him with somebody else's place. Like for example a certain Brit's manor.

Absently he started doing small tricks with juggling balls, while wondering about the possibility. Hakuba was acting overly friendly with him for quite a while now, so it was very likely that, despite his rigid nature, he wouldn't oppose to the idea. The question was whether Kaito wanted to spoil the upcoming surprise to himself. A mischievous grin split his face. He didn't want to spoil it, true, but the whole case stirred his curiosity just a tiny bit too much. And it was partially Aoko's fault leaving him waiting like that. He definitely was going with that excuse.

He cast one last glance at the stairs and got up from the couch, making the balls vanish. For the first time, he regretted that he never trained any of his doves to follow his childhood friend. There just never really was a need for that. He wondered about slipping a tracer in her shoe, but he dismissed the thought as soon as it came. There wasn't any need to worry about that. In case he got it wrong, she would just give him a call later on. He raised his voice, saying his goodbyes, giving her the last chance to stop him. She didn't, so he closed the door behind himself and directed his steps towards Hakuba's manor. In the end it was better for his surroundings if he kept himself occupied. Who knew what would he think of, when he was bored too much. Even he didn't. So in short, sneaking around was like doing public service~ And it was probably the only opportunity to show his 'gratitude' to the detective for giving Aoko ideas… The shark-like grin didn't bode Saguru well, but unfortunately there wasn't anybody to notice it. Pity~

* * *

Kaito didn't get far when he felt a piercing gaze focus on him. He didn't let anything show on his pose or expression of course, but he did slightly change his course, to lead his possible pursuer to a place where he could surprise them. As expected, the feeling of being followed didn't leave him. The stare didn't feel threatening, but he didn't get this far for just trusting the first impression he got. Those were good when he didn't have time to think, but outside those occasions, it definitely paid off to be careful. While playing with his phone, he turned into a winding alley, which people often used as a short cut. Kaito regretted that there wasn't any rain lately, so the ground wasn't muddy to give away how far his pursuer was. After another turn he jumped on the emergency fire exit, which he kept himself maintained, so it wouldn't creek under his weight, and hidden from sight, he waited there.

His pursuer picked up his pace after the magician disappeared around the corner. They were trying to be moving quietly, but didn't have the kaitou's grace. Soon Kaito noticed the familiar Osakan's shag show itself from around the corner. The magician snorted inwardly, admitting that Hattori was a whole lot better with tailing than Hakuba, but apparently he still was no match for the great Kaitou KID~ While he was idly wondering what Tantei-han's goal was and whether he was part of Aoko's plan, Heiji looked up. Figures that he was also paranoid, much like Tantei-kun. Kaito could have stayed hidden, but decided that there was no need for it and instead chose to grin at the detective below, while leaning over the railing. In the end the Osakan was fun and proved many times already to serve as a decent distraction.

* * *

Hattori chuckled, smiling widely when he noticed that he got himself discovered. He figured something was wrong when Kuroba took the first turn away from Hakuba's place. With the information they had from Aoko, they foresaw that if she acted like she wasn't going to spend any time with him, he would get impatient and reconsider his predictions about the day. Most likely coming to a conclusion that the girl decided to change her habit and hold a party this time. According to Jii's assurance, the magician wasn't aware that the girl, who missed her friend, started hanging out more in places they used to visit together. So eventually she became a regular at the parlor and kept company to the old man who also missed his previous master's son's visits. Thus it was very unlikely Kaito would expect her to prepare the party there. And if he couldn't find anything out of ordinary at her house, the next logical place would be Hakuba's place. The two Tokyo resident detectives weren't sure if the kaitou would want to confirm his suspicions, but Hattori had no doubts that he would. Kuroba was cunning, perspicacious and careful, but at the same time he was curious and preferred acting instead of waiting. So Heiji expected that in a safe situation, where there was no need to hold back and if the temptation was big enough, the magician would give in to his curiosity. And the grinning exhibit A, above him was the best prove that he was right. So the point goes to The Great Detective of the West~

"Yo, scaredy cat. Paranoiac much?" The Osakan teased with a smirk.

The magician snorted and rolled his eyes. "Could ask you the same. Anyway, is it already an occupational disease for you to be tailing other people like a creep~?"

"Only those who sneak around suspiciously."

"Well, if you call a casual walk through the streets sneaking, I imagine that you must be pretty busy in your everyday life~" Kaito mocked, supporting his body on the balustrade and standing upside down on his hands, facing the detective below.

Heiji eyed the construction with alarm, unsure if it could hold the magician's weight, but trying to maintain external calm. "It is suspicious, if I know what you're up to. Anyway, will you get down, or do I have to go up? My neck is starting to hurt from the position."

The kaitou smirked mockingly and Hattori knew that his attempts of hiding his concern failed. "Well, pardon me. I had no idea you were a medium~" He chuckled and swayed on the balustrade, as if concerning the request. "Anyway… you probably should eventually learn to look up to others~ Maybe it would be good for y- Argh!" He let out a scared yelp, as his hand slipped as he was taking a step and lost his grip, falling backwards to the ground.

Out of reflex Heiji threw himself forward to catch the falling magician, preparing himself for a painful crash. He closed his eyes the second Kaito should have fallen on him, but all he felt was the gentle brush of kaitou's hair on his forehead. And then there was laughter. Bemused, Hattori opened his eyes only to notice Kuroba swaying just slightly above him on a wire, safely attached to the fire escape above.

"Very funny, ahou…" He grumbled, mentally giving himself a slap for falling for such a trick. It was KID. He wouldn't just kill himself by falling from a railing.

"It sure was~!" Kaito blurted out with barely holding back spasms of laughter. "If only you saw your face~"

Heiji gave the prankster a non-mental smack upside at the back of his head. "Just get down from there ahou…"

"Why~?" The magician asked with mild amusement, slowly turning upside down, putting himself roughly on Hattori's eyelevel. "I thought you just didn't want to strain your neck~ And I do believe the problem is solved now~"

It was alarming that the magician's twisted logic actually started making sense. The Osakan smirked. "Well, thanks for your concern. This explains also why you're such a nut-job, seeing how you like to be upside down." He poked Kaito's forehead, pushing him slightly away and making him sway on the rope. "Blood gets into your head and causes brain damage."

Kuroba's lips twitched in slight annoyance and Heiji wondered if this was a warning for crossing the line. He decided to ignore it, grinning back at the teen. Kaito sighed theatrically and spread his arms in a helpless manner.

"Well, I'm afraid that I have done a lot of things over the years. But regrettably, acting normal was never one of them~" He stated and gave a wicked grin, that should've probably worry the detective.

But instead it only amused Heiji, so he reacted with a chuckle. It was clear to him now that the lip twitch was just an empty taunt. The magician might have been outrageous for most, but he was also fun and creative. And that was just fine for Hattori.

* * *

Pleased with his critic's reaction and the lack of fuss, Kaito hooked his skillful fingers in the knot on his waist and undid it with one pull. He landed on the ground with a flip and pulled on the rope, releasing it from the railing above. Heiji looked at it with concern, but didn't say anything, most probably figuring that the teen before him knew what he was doing and despite the looks of it, he wasn't in any danger.

"So? Why were you tailing me anyway?" Kuroba asked with a raised eyebrow, while skillfully folding the rope.

The detective shrugged, unsurprised when the neat coil vanished without a trace moments later with a small confetti burst. "Well, I was meaning to meet up with you, when I noticed you walking by and decided to have a little fun."

The magician snorted with amusement, accepting the explanation for now. "Alright, but since that's done, did you want anything specific from me?"

"Not much. Just thought we could hang around a bit, since Kudo is busy with his Neechan and all~" He chuckled and gave the teen before him an earnest smile. "And wanted to thank you for keeping him occupied last weekend."

That set off alarms in Kaito's mind, but he kept any signs of it carefully hidden, showing only curious surprise on his face. "Hm? What do you mean by that?" He asked while trying to spot anything that would tell him, if the Osakan figured out who he was talking through the phone and if it would spoil his latter plans.

But it seemed the detective was oblivious about the trick. "Well you know. The guy has a lot on his back and sometimes gets a hard time dealing with it. And a break every now and then is good for everybody."

The magician smirked, wondering if the detective wasn't referring to him as well. "Yeah, I hear you. Anyhow, distractions are my specialty, so it was my pleasure~" He said with a mocking bow.

Heiji laughed at that, fully agreeing with the magician.

Kaito didn't oppose to the idea of going on a stroll with the detective. He expected that was just a way to pull him away from Hakuba's manor, but decided he didn't mind. In the end, a surprise would be nice and Hattori was fun enough to deal with. He enjoyed how the Osakan reacted and responded to his pranks, and didn't hold grudges for teases. At least for long~ And that was just what he needed to let himself relax.

* * *

They were standing in a square, in a middle of a small bicker, after Kaito turned Heiji's baseball cap into its pink and fluffy caricature, when suddenly they heard a gasp.

"It's Kaitou KID!" A shrill of an awfully familiar freckled boy put a pause to their quarrel.

Heiji had to give it to Kaito, he nearly didn't twitch at that. Too bad Hattori was looking at him so carefully at the time. He recovered nearly immediately, his expression showing only shock mixed with amazement, as he started looking around frantically.

"Huh? Where?" The eagerness and enthusiasm was nearly pouring out of him.

"It's you of course! You can't fool the Detective Boys!" Genta claimed with a wide grin on his face, while pointing a finger at Kuroba.

The perfect acting didn't discourage the three kids and they swarmed the magician, giving Heiji an opportunity to back away to his mischievously smirking friend.

"Oi… What is it about?" He asked whispering, while eyeing with worry the interested passers who overheard the accusations.

"I might have told the kids that Kuroba is an avid fan of KID and would be most thrilled to be taken for his idol~" Shinichi answered quietly with a devilish chuckle. "Chill. In the end he likes adrenaline~"

Hattori gave a sheepish laugh, noting mentally to not get on Kudo's bad side in the future. Meanwhile Kaito blinked and gazed at the kids owlishly, looking as innocent and surprised as possible. At least the surprise was most likely genuine.

"Me? I'm not KID, why would you think that?" He made a point of not glaring at Tantei-kun.

"Because you're a magician!" Ayumi claimed.

"And a good one at that!" Genta added.

Seeing puzzlement on Kaito's expression, the kids grinned and Mitsuhiko explained with a wide smile. "We saw how skillfully you pulled the trick on Heiji-san, without him noticing anything~! Plus…" He took the magician's hand, showing it. "You have very long fingers and judging from the calluses on them and the small cuts…" He trailed off, frowning while looking closer at the palm.

"There is no mistaking that you train a lot with various objects~!" Ayumi helpfully finished with a wide smile.

Kuroba chuckled, taking away his hand from the boy's grasp. "Oooh~ Reading an occupation from one's hand? You guys are really good detectives~" The children puffed their chests at the praise, Mitsuhiko dropping his concern. "Well~ I admit you're right about one thing~" With a flick of his wrist he produced a rose, which he presented to the small girl and with a snap of his fingers of the other hand he conjured a small confetti burst and a flapping dove. "I am a magician indeed~ But in all honesty… I am way better than KID~" He added with a laugh, as the children gasped in awe at his little tricks.

The dove turned its head and blinked at Conan, who was chuckling with Heiji a few steps away. It cooed with recognition and as its master didn't seem to want anything from it, it took off. Shinichi noticed the descending bird and jumped away, clapping his hands over his head.

"Oh no, you don't!" He growled, backing away from the bird.

The dove, unfazed by his attempts, landed on his chest, digging its tiny claws in his shirt. Flapping its wings, the bird made his way up to the shirt's collar. Once there it gave the boy a gentle peck on the cheek and cuddled to him.

"Huh?" Conan blinked with a shocked expression, trying to keep an eye on the quietly cooing dove.

Kaito laughed heartily, seeing confusion on his critics' faces and slight envy on the children's.

"Nee? Niisan? Did you tell the dove to do that?" Mitsuhiko asked suspiciously.

The magician shook his head. "Nope~ It's just that Aya-chan really likes Conan-kun and apparently wanted to give him a smooch on the cheek~"

"Huh?" Conan repeated, turning owlishly towards the kaitou, not really noticing the kids who came over to pat the bird on his chest.

"Why does she like him so much, Niisan?" Ayumi asked curiously and giggled as the dove seemed to be enjoying being caressed.

"Hm… I wonder…" He replied with a smirk that explained it all to Shinichi, making him recall the bird he took care of after the Scorpion incident. "All I know is that for some reason she loves him~"

Stating it like that made the shrunken teen look at the cuddling and cooing dove and blush slightly, which caused Heiji to start laughing, from his 'bird-loving' friend and his new girlfriend.

It wasn't hard for the Detective Boys to have Kaito show them some magic, especially after Heiji claimed that the magician wasn't anything big in compare to Kaitou KID. Kuroba seemed genuinely angry at the Osakan and gave a small show of a few particularly mean tricks. It was incomprehensible for Conan why this taunt actually worked, but for the sake of his sanity, he decided to not think about it too much.

* * *

Previously Kaito was slightly worried about the possibility of meeting the nosy brats outside of a heist, since despite their age they were rather observant and there was a slight chance of them making the connection of KID looking similarly to Kudo. It wasn't like he didn't believe in his skill to throw off any suspicions from himself, but depending on the situation, it could turn problematic. Especially because children weren't too much interested in evidence. Fortunately, for some reason they didn't find it suspicious that he looked so similar to Shinichi. He was certain that it was Tantei-kun's doing. As well as their joke about accusing him of being KID. With the latter, the squirt earned himself a special place on the kaitou's 'payback list'. And he was not going to settle for just small teasing for it~ Unfortunately it had to wait for now, as he wanted to catch the little devil by surprise as well.

He enjoyed performing for the children. Their honest delight and joy was refreshing for him. Later he concluded that he should have figured that it was suspicious when after two hours they ended up near the Blue Parrot and the little girl asked him if they could get somewhere inside and get some rest and drink. Despite how many times he used a similar trick himself, those kids caught him completely off guard. Seeing that the old man's place was near, he himself proposed taking them there, deciding to greet Jii while at it. The joy and pride he felt from the kids should have been another hint, but again he just shrugged it off, blaming it on excitement after his show. Suspicions only hit him as he was nearing the door, as everything was too quiet and still. He found himself wanting to take the kids away from there, but probably noticing him hesitating, Heiji just grabbed him and pulled inside, before he could object. That gesture made Kaito notice how his two critics were acting and make the connections to the children's reactions and his previous deductions about the whole day.

He managed only to smirk slightly as everything clicked in place, before turning his expression to pure shock and excitement when Aoko, Akako, Hakuba and quite a few schoolmates he used to hang out with jumped out with a loud 'Surprise~!' Sometimes the reflex to react to sudden movement did prove troublesome, as it took a bit of self-restrain to not drop confetti on them before they managed to try and startle him. Kaito was genuinely surprised by the number of guests who apparently were happy to be there. His gaze trailed to the old man in charge of the place. It was clear how happy and touched he was to see his young master. Kaito gave him a glimpse of apologetic smile, hoping nobody else noticed it. Maybe he should return to his habit to spending some time around to gather his thoughts, instead of locking himself in his secret places. Jii would probably appreciate his presence even if he wouldn't share what was on his mind. But then…

He didn't let his mind trail off in that direction and returned his full attention to his schoolmates and the bunch who kept him occupied as they sang the birthday song over a cake, lit with 18 candles. He noticed that Tantei-kun was only pretending. Kaito made a mischievous mental note to get him to sing something in the future, so the magician would be able to verify the rumors he heard about his voice. Only for intelligence purposes of course, not that he wanted to make fun of the little devil… But just maybe Kaito could make it part of payback for getting startled by the children today? Tough choice. Before he could make up his mind (not that it was important right now anyway) the song has ended, so he blew the candles. He neglected making a wish, since he didn't want to mope right now.

* * *

After they ate the cake, the kids left the party. Shinichi did notice surprise on Kaito's face when they gave him their best wishes again and said their goodbyes. It seemed that the magician wanted to object at first, but decided to let it go and conjured a birthday cap for each of them, thanking them for coming. Kudo was not amused with his pink one.

With Hakuba's courtesy, they were driven back to their homes by Baaya. The children chatted cheerfully during the ride about the day and tricks Kuroba made for them, only sorry that Haibara didn't want to go with them. They argued if the magician was actually better than the kaitou. Ayumi, probably trying to be polite wasn't sure, Genta made it obvious that KID was way better, while Mitsuhiko explained to him that it seemed like that only because the thief's shows were prepared beforehand, while Kuroba was taken by surprise and thus couldn't show off his whole skill. Therefore comparing them was hard, but the possibility of the magician being superior was high. This brought smile to the detective's face and made him recall something.

"Oh yeah. I've been wondering, why did you trail off while saying out your deduction about Kaito-niisan being a magician?"

The freckled boy hummed, trying to recall what it was about and snapped his fingers. "Ah, I remember now! It was strange. Remember how we talked about how a magician's hands should look like?"

Conan nodded in confirmation and the two other children looked at their friend, slightly confused. "You mean the calluses and small cut scars?" Ayumi asked, recalling what they found out researching.

Mitsuhiko gave a nod. "Yeah that. Well, when I touched his hand and focused on it I've noticed that there were some calluses, but no old scars. And I started wondering, if maybe we got the whole thing wrong. But then the conversation and tricks went on, so I forgot to mention it~" He added with a sheepish laugh.

Shinichi frowned at that. He wondered if it was possible for the boy to simply miss Kuroba's scars, but he doubted it. Mitsuhiko was perceptive and although didn't have his eyes trained as Kudo himself to spot out details, he wouldn't miss anything he was actually looking for. There were ways to diminish scars to make them less obvious and he expected Kaito to care for his hands exceptionally, but there should be still some signs. Plus it was very hard to get rid of old scars and it was doubtful that the magician as a child was very careful with his palms. He regretted now that he never actually tried to find those signs himself and noted mentally to do that on the next day, when he planned to meet Kuroba.

* * *

When the kids left, the other attendants decided to approach the birthday-boy and give him their wishes along with gifts. He received a nice cup that changed its color due to warmth, two books about unexplained phenomena, a bundle of colorful scarves for his tricks and a plasma ball (Hakuba feared actually what Kuroba might think of with that one) from his schoolmates. To their dread, the magician's fellow pranksters presented him with a few handmade crackers and a book about explosives.

Saguru gave him three tiny, leather harnesses. Kaito didn't hide his surprise, so the Brit awkwardly explained that he couldn't find any information about what gear magicians use for their tricks with birds, but he figured something like that could be handy. He didn't have to add that it was custom made. With a startling bang of the new cracker (loud enough to shock the kaitou as well), Kuroba conjured two of his doves and tried the harnesses on them. It needed a bit of adjusting as they were slightly too big, but the birds seemed comfortable enough in them, so Kaito left them to fly around and see if they could get used to it.

Silently the guests unanimously agreed that Heiji was most likely some sort of a masochist (although his guts earned him some respect from the other pranksters). His gift was a diverse magic kit... suitable for small children. Unfazed by the overwhelming dread around him and a sharp grin from Kuroba, Hattori explained without bothering to try and hide his smirk.

"You know, I figured that you probably could use to start training with some professional equipment~"

"Oh~ How thoughtful of you~" Kaito replied, raising a small plastic bottle, used for the suspending trick. "I just hope I won't get hurt in the process. There is some very dangerous stuff in here!" He added with a gasp, picking up a finger-length piece of rope. "It's heartwarming to know how much trust you put in my skills~"

Heiji snorted, but before he could reply the magician blew at two fake banknotes, causing them to blow up in a fountain of plastic coins right into the detective's face. Startled and lightly pushed by Kuroba, the Osakan tried to take a step back and found himself falling over, as his legs didn't budge. He hit the floor with a grunt, accompanied by the kaitou's laugh and noticed that his shoelaces were tied up together with the ridiculously short piece of rope. Kaito beamed to him, taking out the tiny vase, which sprouted and equally small flower.

"See? Told you they are dangerous~"

"Oi-" Hattori started, but got cut off by the magician's yelp as the deck of cards exploded under his fingers.

A blinding flash and tones of cards flying around (definitely more than the magic kit held) obstructed everybody's view. This was when the guests understood that Heiji was not only a masochist… He was also a sadist, for apparently putting Kaito on his pranking rampage. Fortunately most of what happened afterwards was rather just a show of skill than anything particularly mischievous.

Looking at the spongy rabbit head, that was the only unchanged part of the now spongy snake-hare hybrid tying his hands, Hakuba couldn't help but wonder if the inventors of the harmless kit ever expected their set to be used in such a way. There weren't enough of equipment to use on everybody (because Kaito didn't spare even Jii or the waiter), so it was obvious that the magician, who was now sitting cross legged on the counter, with the too small, black top hat on his head, had to use some of his own. Surprisingly nobody's hair or clothes changed color.

Akako was the first to clear her throat and approach the magician to continue with the interrupted wishes. Due to Kaito's rampage, her hair was now held upwards with a red scarf bow, accompanied with few equally red flowers tucked in between. In all, it nicely emphasized the color of her eyes. Hattori found himself gaping at the girl, as well as other guys, excluding Hakuba who looked away and Kuroba, who only smiled at her and hopped off the counter. Her gift was an old looking book with a Latin title, which the magician vanished before the detectives had the chance to decipher and a small pouch that looked like an omamori. Kaito just hoped that he managed to keep his expression intact when she whispered to him that inside was a Devil's Shoe String and he should keep it close to himself whenever he expected trouble. He certainly did not like the name of it. Later when he decided to check it out he noticed that it was some strange smelling root, tied with a white string and nine knots. Kuroba wasn't sure what to make of the book, which was apparently a basic guide about warding himself from physical magic. It would be a pain to read it, but he definitely was going to.

Aoko, who had her hair fixed up in the same way as Akako's with a blue scarf and flowers, was the last one to approach the magician with her gift and wishes. The present from her had Kaito still his Poker Face for a moment. She gave him a difficult set of 3D puzzles and a photo album. Filled with joyful memories throughout his life. She must have asked his mother for some, as a few could not have been in Aoko's possession. The last page had an imperfect picture featuring the current him and his father, both holding a dove. The photo was signed 'The best two magicians in the world'.

"I know you can achieve your dream, when you'll decide to give it a try~" She said with a cheerful smile.

Kaito smiled back softly and replied, overcoming his clenched throat. "Thanks, Aoko."

He didn't miss the longing in her smile, nor how many of the earlier pictures showed them together, laughing. He couldn't help but recall how few moments like that happened currently. It was obvious she missed him. And he missed her back. He definitely should find more time to spend with... He trailed off with his thoughts, upholding his cheerful expression only through habit. Wasn't it ironic? He was the unbound Kaitou KID. The one who did what he wanted, even if it was impossible. But at the same time it made Kuroba Kaito the very opposite of free. Every second he spent having fun or relaxing, was a second he didn't spend on reconnaissance, training or seeking information. The very essential things he needed if he ever wanted to end his quest. And what he needed for plain survival. He laughed out-loud after making a remark that set Aoko blazing and had her and Tantei-han fight over a mop. Well... keeping appearances of normality for everybody around him was important too. But he wouldn't have to keep it up for long. Soon he would put on the very different mask. Yeah... he thought bitterly, as he splat himself over the ceiling and threw a balloon at Hattori, who wielded the mop as a bokken. So fortunate for him...

They played a couple of games and Kaito tried a few tricks with his doves involving the harnesses and plastic rings from the magician's kit. The trust the birds showed towards their master was remarkable, proved when one of them had its wings caught by the ring in midair and calmed down immediately as Kuroba caught it with a rod and freed it, making it look like everything was a part of plan. Apparently the doves were as good with improvisations as their master was. The party lasted until 4 AM, with people slowly leaving from around 1 AM. Heiji, who got up early that day to get on the train, excused himself around 2 AM after he nearly broke his nose when he started dozing off at a table and Aoko shooed him off. Akako left soon after him, as, like she said, she didn't want to neglect her beauty sleep. Aoko, Kaito and Saguru were the last to leave and the detective insisted on driving them home.

* * *

An alarm clock, after too few hours of sleep, was not the sound Kaito liked. But he did want to get to his plans as soon as possible. With a heavy sigh he got up, washed himself, got dressed and went to the secret room to retrieve 'The Morning Shine'. With a toast in between his teeth and an apple in his pocket, he left the house, directing his steps towards the graveyard he visited each year.

Kaito walked slowly through the path at the graveyard he knew all too well. As he approached his destination, he spared a fond smile at the clean gravestone.

"Hi dad." He murmured warmly.

Although the grave was well kept, he sprinkled the lifeless stone to wash off the little dirt from it. Afterwards he lit an incense and sat on the ground before the grave. He looked around carefully, pretending to be simply watching the clouds, and sighed heavily after confirming that he was alone. He returned with his gaze to the tombstone and gave it his KID smirk.

"Look what I found~"

And with a flick of his wrist he produced 'The Morning Shine'. He turned it in his fingers, admiring the daylight dancing on the facets. He placed it on the grave, focusing his gaze on the jewel. It looked nice there, like it was where it belonged.

"Thought it might bring back some memories." He mumbled quietly, still upholding his smirk. "There's not much I can give you for Father's Day. Hope you like it." He sighed heavily, dropping the fake mask and pulled his knees under his chin. "I miss you dad. Sorry for the grim mood today, but I'm tired a bit… I just regret you never managed to tell me about any of this. You know… I often wonder what you wanted to say on the tape... but it is beyond repair..." He chuckled grimly, not even trying to bring out joyful tones. "It would suck big time if you already found Pandora and destroyed it, or hid it somewhere. Or if you never wanted it destroyed in the first place and I'm going against your wishes." He sighed heavily again. "I even wonder if it is possible to destroy it... I think..." He trailed off and shook his head. "Don't worry... I won't back out. It's just... so hard sometimes..." He hid his face in his arms. "I-I just hope you don't hold it against me. What I did, I mean… I'm trying to make the best choices. But sometimes it just feels like whatever I try will end up bad."

Kaito closed his eyes, allowing the images of everything he's done till now and things he was abandoning for the sake of his mission flow through his mind. He sighed heavily, once again accepting the loss and raised his head to give the tombstone his best grin.

"Thanks dad~ I'm better now. Anyway… I'll try something different now. Might find some information, about who I'm up against and maybe I'll help somebody with it also. Don't worry about me, though. I'll be fine." He chuckled. "There is something wrong with me, right? I mean, risking my neck for a detective? Yeah, guess I am crazy. But still gonna do it. Maybe I'll be able to buy myself for them to leave me alone? What do you think?" He snorted. "I doubt it too. They are just too persistent…" He added with a fond smile.

He looked away and added quietly. "It is hard to stay away from them. I know I have to, Dad. But just..." He sighed again and smiled back at the stone, not letting any grim emotions stain his expression. "Yeah, you're right. I'm just being selfish here. Don't worry, I'll find a way to push them away. Somehow…"

After a few more moments of silence, Kaito leaned down to the grave to pick up the priceless jewel and make it vanish with a flick of his wrist. He stood up and stretched with a sigh. He winked at the gravestone, showing his wicked grin. "You rest here. I'll come back to tell you how it went, when I finish. See ya later~!"

With that said, he turned away from his father's resting place and left the graveyard. His Poker Face back in place, without a sign that it was ever broken.

* * *

There was a doorbell at Hakuba's household and Saguru, expecting it was his fellow detectives, went to open it himself. He was not mistaken.

"Alright, spill." Heiji demanded, before the Brit could open his mouth to greet his guests, as Conan passed him, sparing an apologetic smile at the host. The boy was holding a wrapped up gift for Kaito under his arm.

Nodding his head towards the shrunken detective, Hakuba raised an eyebrow and sighed. "Well hello to you too. Care to explain what do you want me to 'spill'?"

The Osakan rolled his eyes. "You've been out of it the whole evening yesterday and watching Kuroba with that weird expression-"

"Was I..?" The Brit asked quietly with concern.

"Yeah, so spill, what did you learn about him?"

"Right, well… I considered sharing it with you anyway." Hakuba replied grimly and lead his guests to the living room, where they sat comfortably before he continued. "You see, I had a theory concerning the reason for KID to move the location of his previous heist. It was completely unfounded, so I didn't really want to talk about it until I could confirm it."

"So what did you discover?" Shinichi asked gently, surprised by how uneasy the blond looked.

Saguru shifted in his seat. "The first thing that caught my attention was how many police officers were dispatched for 'the Deep's Hope' and 'the Burning Flower' heists. By itself it wasn't really surprising, concerning that the first was right after that fatal heist and the second occurred during an opera, which gathered many wealthy guests and celebrities, who could make an uproar if there wasn't enough protection measures taken. But when I recalled how bitter KID sounded when he met us after the first of those, it got me thinking that there was more to it. So, based on this hunch, I started digging. I discovered that during both of those there were robbery cases."

"Well, that sucks, but I'd guess it's not really surprising. I mean, KID does take a lot of attention. Criminals have to see those as golden opportunities." Hattori argued, not liking where the deduction was leading.

"But of course. This is why the police is reluctant to share the information about his heists with the public until the last minute, whenever they have power over it. There are also extra precautions taken like dispatching extra patrols, checking up the security and sometimes even calling for extra help from nearby, if the heist is extra large. But since KID seems to scare away other criminals in his immediate surroundings, due to the fact that he did catch a few robbers himself back in the time, plus there is already quite a lot of police attention due to the event, the area around is usually somewhat neglected. And those two robberies in question took place just a block away. What's more, nobody got hurt, nor did a single bullet get shot. The alarms didn't go off and none of the robbers were caught afterwards. I still don't have indisputable evidence, but it seems the security was tempered with in a very specific way…"

Heiji growled, cutting in. "Come on! You're talking like you actually believe it! He doesn't steal for real and you know it. At least not more than we do." He added bitterly and grimaced. "You still haven't returned those discs, have you?" Apparently it was bugging him.

Shinichi lowered his gaze slightly and Hakuba cleared his throat awkwardly. "This is a completely different matter. If not for Kuroba's courtesy, we wouldn't have any choice, but as it was, we all saw him leaving other discs in exchange. From what I've learned, those CD's would have been recorded on a month later anyway, so the data would be lost. Therefore attempting to return those would be not only unnecessarily risky, but also would lead to destroying potential evidence. I can assure you that I'm doing my best monitoring the situation." He added and frowned, trailing off. "I am however stunned that apparently neither of the two security guards who were put to sleep that night made an uproar... Like nothing ever happened."

"Huh? For real? I doubt they were that stupid to not notice, meaning they knew somebody broke in. And Kuroba didn't take long to catch up to us, so he couldn't do much to them." Hattori wondered crooking his head.

Saguru grimaced at that. "Yes, it is surprising. But this is not our current topic. Please stop misleading this conversation."

Heiji gave him a flat stare. "Oi, you were the one to mention that..." He grumbled, but dismissed the matter with a snort, returning to the topic at hand. "Anyway, it can be still just a random group, with smart people and all. They could be just copying his methods and using the heists as distractions. You can't also base it just on the fact that KID didn't catch them."

"He did fly off in that particular direction during 'The Deep's Hope' heist, and considering the time, he should have noticed them. That is before he turned midair and lead the chase elsewhere. Of course there is the possibility that he didn't see them and had another reason to change his direction. But those robberies needed quite a lot of preparations to go this smoothly. So we have two possibilities. Either it was just a coincidence that twice in a row KID chose his heist locations near places that were meant to be robbed, or… he at least allowed this." Hakuba summed up grimly.

"Well… I don't like coincidences that much to bet on them… Did you try to check, if there was a similar case after the last heist?" Shinichi asked somberly.

The Brit shook his head. "I did and found nothing of the sorts."

"Hold on there!" Hattori cut in angrily. "Why would he do that? I mean, even if you assume that he needs to found somehow his heists," he said that with a sour tone, "he wouldn't make a mistake like that and leave you a tip, by moving an opera to a different location. I think you got it all wrong. I mean those heists were no surprise to the public knowledge and maybe it didn't take so long to prepare? They could have had somebody working inside."

"In both cases?" Saguru asked with a grimace and sighed. "I said at the beginning that I still lack proof for this. And I do agree with you that, if Kuroba does steal for profit every now and then, then he has a way to do this unnoticed. I actually doubt that he does that at all, but this is just wishful thinking." Noticing that Heiji wanted to cut again, he continued hastily. "Anyway, what I think happened there was that he was forced to do it. Play a decoy, maybe even organize those robberies. This is why he had to move his heist location to both help with the opera and fulfill his other role."

"But he said that he isn't controlled…" The Osakan argued weakly.

Shinichi shrugged grimly. "He could have lied."

"Or played with words. He tends to do that a lot." Hakuba offered with a bitter smile. "Remember? He said that he isn't controlled in an open matter. And that people can't achieve much by pulling his strings. He never said he wasn't working with somebody, or made a deal. Also, if this was an agreement, he might not consider it being controlled at all."

"And why would he go for an agreement like that?"

"Maybe to pay a debt?" Conan suggested grimly. "After the explosion, Hakuba-kun found quite a lot of his blood. Despite how I like to tease him, he is anything but sloppy. I found it strange back then, but figured that somebody interrupted him and he had to flee before he finished. But since nobody reported anything like that, it didn't quite add up."

"My thoughts exactly." Saguru agreed grimly. "It was an over 20 meter drop. What if he slipped and passed out? Somebody found him, took care of his wounds and requested payback afterwards?"

Shinichi shook his head. "I hope not. In that case, his identity would be revealed and it would be nasty. I'd rather bet that he was in critical state and needed immediate medical attention. Probably had quite a few burn marks, so there was no way he could conceal being KID and because of that couldn't use any legal help, without getting caught. Concerning the explosion and what you observed on Kuroba-kun, it's not a farfetched idea that it was like that…"

The Brit sighed heavily. "No matter how it went, it would mean that he had his life saved. Quite big of a debt, if you ask me… And we have no idea, if he managed to pay for it already."

"Hell…" Hattori swallowed hard, listening to his friends' deductions.

He rubbed his eyes, angered that he couldn't find flaws in those words and didn't like where it was leading them. Especially concerning Kaito's sudden convalescence. The detectives fell silent, digesting what was said until Heiji clapped his hands on his knees and got up.

"Well, we won't be getting nowhere just guessing. Since he tried to mislead us, I'd guess he didn't want us to know about this, so he might slip if we ask him now. Most probably he will be vulnerable now because of his father." He added with a grimace.

Hakuba winced and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "That is rather harsh."

"Yeah I know and I don't like it either. But if your guess is correct then we have to try and pull his sorry ass out of trouble, before he does something stupid again. I still hope you're wrong about this, so I don't intend to ask him directly, but we could touch the topic and see if it will lead us somewhere."

Saguru chuckled and got up from his seat. "Well I guess you're right. And hopefully if we play it out right, he won't hate us for doubting him."

"I think that in worst case scenario, he'll just deny everything. It's not like we have much to lose…" Conan confirmed with a shrug, already walking towards the exit.

* * *

Although Saguru knew in which graveyard Toichi was buried in, they decided to head towards Kuroba household, since they had no way of guessing when Kaito made his trip. Unsurprisingly it seemed that nobody was home. Hattori just finished looking through the windows at the first floor and was concerning climbing a tree to see if he could find anything upstairs when they noticed a car pulling over, by the Nakamoris'. The detectives walked towards it, seeing that the inspector and Aoko just got out. The girl turned to them with surprised expression.

"Hi guys. You're looking for Kaito?"

"Good day, Aoko-kun. And that would be correct. Do you have any idea where we could find him?" Hakuba asked politely.

"Oh well, you just missed him. We just dropped him off at the airport." She informed them with an amused expression.

The detectives gapped at that and barely noticed the girl take a picture of them with a giggle.


	29. Out alone in the cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter I offer you the detectives' reactions for their thief gone missing and some unexpected revelations later on…

Both Heiji and Shinichi snapped out of their daze at the same moment.

"Say what...?" The shrunken teen whispered, but the Osakan's reaction was louder.

"What do you mean 'dropped him at the airport?' And what's with the photo? You're joking, right?" He added with a suspicious glare.

With an apologetic gesture, Aoko clapped her hands with her phone between her palms. "Sorry about this~ Kaito asked Aoko to take a picture of Hakuba-kun when Aoko broke him the news! Hope you guys don't mind?" She asked, eyeing the trio from underneath her joined fingers.

Saguru shook his head, ignoring the grumbling from Heiji. "It's fine, Aoko-kun, but more importantly, is that true? And where did Kuroba fly off to?" He asked with caution, noticing the redness around the girl's eyes, undoubtedly indicating recent tears, making him doubt it was just a prank.

She gave him a too cheerful smile. "Weeeell~ Aoko is not sure if she should tell you~"

"He went to Las Vegas." Nakamori cut in with a grumble and blew some cigarette smoke to the side. "Sorry to butt in, Aoko, but I need to go to work, so if you want me to give you a lift to Keiko-kun, you'd better hurry."

The girl jumped and was already turning towards the house. "Oh right! Sorry dad! I'll talk to you guys later, ok?" And without waiting for an answer, she rushed inside the building to fetch her notes.

Ginzo blew some more smoke and eyed the detectives. "Sorry about that, boys. You want me to give you a lift to the station?"

Conan shook his head and spoke up first. "No, thank you, inspector, we might come in later, but I now need first to put this away first." He pointed with his head at the nicely warped present.

The man raised an eyebrow at the package. "Huh? You got something for Kaito-kun? Why didn't you give it to him yesterday?"

"Didn't want to do it in front of Ayumi, Genta and Mitsuhiko, since they didn't have anything for him. And I never suspected today it might turn out impossible..." He said with a pout, recalling that a child would probably be sad about a situation like this.

The inspector sighed with a compassionate expression, while Hakuba asked with curiosity. "Do you happen to know when Kuroba will be coming back?"

"Apparently not before the end of Summer break. He's having an internship with some professional magician," Nakamori replied helpfully, his expression revealing that he was both proud and worried. "Well, guess it was bound to happen eventually," he added while Saguru took his time recovering from the news.

"But what about the mock exams at school..?" the Brit blurted out the first unsuspicious thing that came to his mind, not expecting his classmate's absence to be so long.

The inspector waved a hand. "Said he got it covered and honestly speaking, I don't want to know the details." When he saw his daughter rushing out of the house, he put out his cigarette in his portable ashtray. "You sure you don't want a lift anywhere?"

Hakuba looked at his friends and shook his head, stepping away from the vehicle. "No, thank you. But one more thing..." Nakamori paused before getting into the car, giving the teen some of his attention. "Just out of curiosity… Do you know if KID returned his target already?"

"Didn't get any calls about it, so apparently not yet. At least it wasn't discovered yet that he had," he added with a grimace, recalling a few situations where the priceless jewel apparently waited for a while after being left by the thief in an unexpected place. "Don't get into any trouble, boys. See you later," he said before closing the door.

Conan shot Saguru a glance as the car was moving from the driveway. "Do you mind if I left this at your place? Don't want to worry Ran."

"Not at all," he replied with a polite smile.

The detectives started walking back towards Hakuba's manor as the Nakamoris drove off. They wanted to take some time to process the new information first before deciding on their next move anyway.

* * *

Heiji shot a glance at the present under his friend's arm. He kept his curiosity at bay till now, figuring he would see what's inside when Kaito opened it, but it didn't seem that would be happening anytime soon. And since neither spoke, it would be a good starter anyway.

"So what did you get him?" he asked out loud, pointing the package with his chin when Shinichi cast him a questioning glance.

"Ah…" Conan gave a small smirk, taking the present in his hands. "It's just a small kit to grow your own crystals. Saw it on a shop display some time ago and figured it would be a safe tease~"

"Definitely safer than an amateur magic kit…" Saguru commented with a smirk of his own, recalling Hattori's gift and Kuroba's reaction to it.

The Osakan scowled at him. "Oi… The point was to get him have some fun. And I think I accomplished it."

"While risking traumatizing all the guests," the blonde replied with a snort.

Heiji rolled his eyes. "You're exaggerating. He's not that bad. It might have been intense, but fun too~ It is enjoyable to see what he can come up on the fly~"

Saguru turned back to the road before him, recalling Kaito's tricks from the night before and other occasions. He smiled with sentiment. "Yes, you are right about that." He gave a sigh. "You guys don't think he left the country really, do you?" he asked, looking at his friends.

Hattori shook his head with a thoughtful expression. "Don't think so. Nakamori-keibu said that he still didn't return the necklace, right? So most likely he's still somewhere around."

"He doesn't necessarily have to be around to do that. In the end he never shows up while returning his target." Hakuba argued softly. "He could have set up a device to uncover the gem at a specific time, or simply have somebody else deliver it."

Shinichi nodded, agreeing with the Brit and sighed, tucking the present back under his arm. "It could be either way really. First of all, we have no clue about the reason for his disappearance. Could come up with a dozen, really… But I doubt we will see KID doing an international heist during this time. Although it is possible that he could be making preparations somewhere far, or just an especially complicated one around here. Anyhow, I have a feeling it's not the case…"

"Hm? You got an idea to why he might have left?" the Osakan asked curiously, seeing the familiar expression on his friend's face.

"Hopefully not to finish paying his debt…" the Brit mumbled worriedly.

Conan shook his head. "While it is possible, I don't think so. I might be reading too much into it, but he visited me after the last heist. Thought at first it was just to whine that we weren't present there, but at the end, it turned out that he wanted to ask me to wait, promising to help me the next time we meet…"

"Help? With what?" Hakuba asked while frowning, having an ominous feeling about it.

The shrunken teen gave a small shrug and a grimace. "Didn't say and I didn't see point in asking, but there was only one thing I've been asking of him lately…"

"Oi, oi…" Heiji stopped in his tracks, staring at his small friend. "You don't mean to tell me he went to investigate those guys?"

"I don't know for sure. Don't know even if he has enough intel to do that. It's more likely, if that's the case at all, that he's checking out a lead." he sighed, turning his gaze to his shoes. "But I don't really want to get my hopes up about it. I'm not even sure how I should feel about him digging for information like that for me," he said while ruffling his hair on the side with one hand. "All in all, I think I'd prefer him to just prepare a heist now."

Sure, it would be great to get his hands on any information that might move him at least a step towards destroying the Organization, or acquiring a permanent antidote, but he didn't like the idea of Kaito risking his life to get it. Even with KID's skill, the risk of getting captured or killed were high. And even if he managed to avoid it, there was always the even higher possibility of getting discovered and the thief already had a lot on his plate. He definitely didn't need more deadly pursuers than he already had. The kaitou might not have been a stranger to taking on high risks, but Shinichi would prefer if he didn't take any unnecessary for his sake. He didn't want that kind of debt, especially if something happened to Kaito in the process. He would be far happier to just receive some unverified information the kaitou might have stumbled on by accident. They could do it with a bit slower pace, with the detective taking on the highest risk himself, when it was necessary.

Saguru nodded and sighed. "Well, it could always be just a diversion to keep you off his tail, while he is gone. It's obvious that he planned for this some time ago. Most likely even before the heist at the opera, or soon after. At least, thanks to this we know that he does indeed intend to return." He smiled. He was a bit worried when he heard the news, thinking this might have been Kaito's way of getting permanently off their radars.

"So what now? We're leaving him do his schemes?" Heiji asked as he made a face, tucking his hands in his pockets.

"At least until we get a lead on him, there is not even a choice to consider. He could be anywhere in the world now really. I doubt we would find any leads even if we tried investigating the airport or his house…" Shinichi hummed and continued with a slight grimace. "I guess could have my parents check if he doesn't actually land in Las Vegas. But it would be hard to explain them why should they do it in secret and no point really to it anyway. Even if he went there, he is out of our reach, with no guarantee he will stay there."

Hakuba sighed. "Unfortunately the best thing we can do now is wait for him to surface again. Anyway, I do have a bit of digging to do around the robberies. I'd like to know if he really had a hand in this and get to the bottom of this whole case. You are, of course, welcome to help if you want."

The other two detectives smirked, accepting the invitation. "Sure. I would like also to do some digging in the Division 2 archives, if you could lend me a hand with it. I want to put together as much as I can from KID's story before we meet him again." Shinichi narrowed his eyes and recalling pieces he already had. He still had too many gaps to fill.

"Of course. And I'll gladly compare notes with you afterwards."

* * *

Before they managed to reach their destination, Conan's phone rang announcing an incoming text. He frowned at the brief text.

_*Come to Agasa's. Want to talk with you.*_

Heiji raised an eyebrow seeing, his friend's expression. "What is it? Nee-chan's summoning you already?"

Shinichi cast him a warning glance, in case he was mocking him again. "Nah, it's from Haibara. Mind if I leave you guys to go and see what is it about?"

The Osakan raised his other eyebrow, but refrained from asking about it, while Saguru just shrugged. "I don't mind. You can contact me when you're finished in case you'll want to join. Maybe you want us to drop you off there?"

The boy gave him a grateful smile, but shook his head. "Nah, thanks. But, if you could take this?" he asked, passing the Brit his present, who took it without hesitation.

"Not a problem at all. See you later, I guess." He did note how impatient Shinichi seemed, but refrained from asking about it.

"Yeah, bye." He replied with a wave and took out his skateboard, driving off on it.

Saguru turned his attention to Heiji. "You know, I won't mind if you'd prefer to go with him, Hattori-kun…"

The Osakan gave him an unimpressed glare. "Huh? You want to get rid of me?"

The Brit waved his hands defensively. "Ah! Not at all! Sorry-"

Heiji smirked and cut him off. "Good~ Let's get going then. By the way…" he added, with hesitance that was unusual for him. "You can skip the honorific, if you want. Would be easier."

Saguru smiled at him. "Gladly, but only if you'll do the same for me."

"Hoped you'd say that~" he admitted with a grin.

They proceeded to Hakuba's manor in comfortable silence afterwards. When they got there, Saguru called his father to get the privilege of taking on the robbery cases and gain access to the scenes and reports. In the end, Shinichi failed to join them throughout the day.

* * *

It was a good choice for the detectives to refrain from waiting for the heist target to be returned. After the midday prayers, the head priest apparently found "the Morning Shine" left lying on his bed. Since the man didn't enter the room since early morning, there wasn't a way of telling when it was actually returned. With no evidence of breaking-in and nothing missing, the case was left alone (they didn't even bother opening a case related to heist target retrievals anymore, since there wasn't any point in it).

* * *

It was already getting late and Heiji was wondering about giving Shinichi a call, when the latter called.

"Oi Kudo, where are you?" he complained to the receiver, instead of a more regular greeting.

_"_ _Sorry…"_ the boy replied, sounding a little subdued, making the Osakan frown and stop in his tracks. _"Guess you'll be headed to the train station soon?"_

"Don't have to yet. What happened?" he asked somberly, complaint completely gone from his tone.

_"_ _Eh… I'd rather… Where are you? You're still with Hakuba-kun?"_ he asked, clearly unsure how to proceed.

Heiji casted Saguru a glance, who raised an eyebrow in response. "Yeah. We're on our way to his house now, but can meet with you somewhere else if you want."

_"_ _No need. Meet you there soon."_ he replied and hung up without waiting for response.

The Osakan frowned and tucked away his phone, wondering what it was about.

"Something wrong?" Hakuba asked seeing the other's perplexed expression.

Heiji shook his head slowly. "Not sure. He said he'll meet us at your house, hopefully he'll clear this up for us there."

Saguru gave an acknowledging hum in response and refrained from asking further questions. It was hard for him to stop himself from wondering what might have caused Kudo's unusual behavior and apparently Hattori had a similar problem. Hakuba looked down at his notepad. At least they managed to clear some of the questions around Kuroba. It wasn't very comforting what they found out, but at least they were slowly solving the puzzle.

* * *

Worried about their friend, the conversation was going heavily and they were already finishing their second serving of tea and coffee when finally Conan managed to join them. Heiji nearly jumped off his seat and met the boy at the entrance, eager to confirm that he was alright. He did seem physically fine, he only had a very tired expression.

"So what happened?" the Osakan demanded, before the boy could speak up.

Shinichi rolled his eyes and waved a hand towards the room, from where Saguru emerged. "Let me sit down first, will you?" he grumbled, already walking in that direction.

It was funny how comfortable he grew in that place. He smiled at his thoughts sadly. Another sanctuary where he didn't have to bother with his child façade. And that was what he needed now…

He climbed on an armchair and sank in it. Heiji was impatiently stepping from one foot to another, wanting to know what it was about, while Saguru sat in an adjacent armchair, also with worry on his face. Finally Shinichi sighed heavily and spoke up quietly with pained voice.

"Turns out I'm gonna have to disappear eventually…" he mumbled with his eyes closed in pain.

"What?" The Osakan demanded, more harshly than intended, moving a chair to sit directly in front of his friend.

The shrunken teenager sighed, his small shoulders dropping. "I'm not growing, Hattori… This poison… It didn't make me younger apparently. It just shrunk me. And teenagers don't grow anymore. At least not as much as kids do…" He drove a hand through his face, taking off his glasses and gaining his composure back. "According to the growth chart for children, I should have grown over 10 centimeters since I've gained this form. And apparently I haven't grown nearly at all. The scient- ah whatever..." He waved a hand, figuring there was no more need to hide it from Saguru. Most likely he had his suspicions about her anyway. "Haibara found it bizarre and made a few tests on our blood samples. She tested out a few other tissue samples of her own body to make sure, but it seems we lack the required growth hormones." He explained turning the glasses in his hand and focusing his gaze on them, before putting them away on a tea table.

Heiji spread his arms helplessly and grabbed the easiest solution he found. "Well, can't you start supplementing it?"

"It's not that simple, Hattori. There is a reason you don't see people twice the normal height, despite taking lots of different hormones and steroids. Also…" Shinichi mumbled and dropped his gaze to his clenching and relaxing his hands. "Even if this was possible, it's not just that I am short. For some reason, we have different proportions than adults and have no way of knowing how a synthetic hormone would work. It's no good if it will just make us grow, because we could end up with disfigured bodies or develop internal organ failure. Haibara probably would be able to develop a hormone that could make our proportions right eventually, but..." He cut himself off, biting his lip.

"But it would take time." Hakuba finished sympathetically and sighed heavily.

Conan gave a small nod. "Not only that… It's basically as hard as making the antidote itself, more so because there won't be immediate results. And she can work on only one thing at a time. Also, since neither of us has much knowledge on child development, it would be very hard to tell if we're growing fine, requiring constant tests to notice as soon as possible if anything was going wrong. Leaving very little time for other projects. We don't even know how the APTX in our systems would react to the hormone. " He swallowed thickly. "Another problem is that people are already questioning why I'm not growing as fast as other children. It's still neglectable, but it will be a problem when the school nurse will want to make sure everything is fine. Or the Mouri's will decide to take me to a doctor. I..." He swallowed hard, refusing to raise his gaze to meet his friends'. "I've talked with Haibara over this and decided that she will continue working on the antidote. In the long run, it seems like a safer solution. Anyway, since it is getting suspicious already, we decided that unless she will manage to figure this in a year from now, then 'Conan' and 'Ai' will have to disappear."

Heiji paled, understanding what it meant. "Oi, oi... you can't be serious? You don't need to-"

"And do you have a better idea, Hattori?!" The shrunken teenager snapped at him. "There is no telling how many years it will take her to get a breakthrough!" He sighed and drove a hand through his face. "I can't risk it…" He added painfully.

The detectives fell silent, understanding what that all meant. Finally, after a few minutes, Shinichi spoke up very quietly.

"I've made a decision. If I don't get my hands on the antidote in a year, I'll..." He swallowed hard. "I'm going to give up on Ran as well."

"But Kudo..." Heiji started weakly, but Conan cut him off, continuing with a bitter tone.

"I won't be able to look after her anymore, not even like this. And it is already unfair to make her wait for so long. If I will have to start moving, to avoid getting attention as an unchanging child, it will get harder to hunt the Organization, meaning my chances of returning are going to be even smaller." He raised his gaze at them with a bitter smile on his lips. "This way at least she'll get to move on with her life. She deserves it…"

Saguru slowly let out a breath. There wasn't much he could say to the crushed genius in front of him. Logically speaking, Shinichi's decision was the best he could make, but he didn't need it confirmed. The Brit struggled to search for another solution, a less painful one, but it seemed in vain. And he just hated seeing another of his friends being forced to abandon his life. The best he could do was to try and comfort him for the time being.

"Don't give up yet. We still have time, it might turn out fine."

Shinichi smiled at that, appreciating the attempt. "I know. Just wanted to tell you where we stand." He replied softly and failed to add: 'And vent it out', but the other two understood it anyway.

"Hell…" Hattori grumbled, ruffling his hair. "Well, seems we're gonna have to hurry up now. No more slacking off."

That made the boy chuckle. "Yeah, you're gonna have to move your lazy ass to work~" He cast a glance at the clock on the wall. "You probably should head to the station now…"

Heiji waved a hand. "Nah, I'll stay and bother you guys with my presence some more."

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "You missed enough of school already and it's not like your presence will change much as long as there is nothing happening here anyway."

"I'll keep Kudo-kun company and we'll give you a shout in case something comes up. Also, it would be probably best if you continued your search in Osaka, Hattori." Saguru reasoned.

Conan noticed the lack of honorific with some surprise, but didn't question it, instead he smiled at his friend. "Thanks for worrying, but I'll be fine. And Hakuba-kun is right, who knows what you might stumble on over there. It's never a bad idea to stretch our line of search."

The Osakan sighed, but decided to not argue with them. "Alright, if you want to get rid of me that badly." He got up from his chair and they followed suit. "Just make sure he doesn't overwork himself, Hakuba," he said with a glare aimed at the Brit, who smirked in response.

"Will do my best, but no promises."

The two Tokyo residents escorted their friend to the train station and waited for his ride, before heading back. Shinichi declined Saguru's invitation to stay with him for the night, since there was no need to worry Ran again.

* * *

Saguru didn't get much sleep that night, thinking about Shinichi's situation and other ways of solving it, but came up empty. How exactly did one proceed with looking for the root of a secret organization in a limited period of time? He sighed heavily. It wasn't comforting to think that most likely neither of his fellow detectives managed to get much sleep either that night. There was only one thing he could try to do now, so he got up and prepared for school.

Later, in the classroom he approached Aoko and asked her about a way of contacting Kaito. He did try both calling and texting him, but was yet to get a reply and somehow doubted it would come anytime soon. She told him that the magician said he would keep his phone turned off, but would call her later at night. Aoko promised Saguru to ask Kaito to give him a call as well, so they could talk. Hakuba didn't hold high hopes for it, but figured it was worth a try and thanked the girl for her offer, accepting it.

It was already midnight and Saguru was mindlessly staring at the screen of his computer. He did try focusing on a case file, but simply had too much on his mind to really be able to read into it. He tried watching a movie, but felt only mildly annoyed by it and was never much into computer games. Absently he wondered if either of his friends really bothered with those. Maybe Kuroba, but then again, did he have time for it?

His musings were interrupted with an incoming call. He looked at the icon slightly surprised before answering. Honestly speaking he didn't suspect Kaito would call and definitely not so soon.

The magician's face that appeared on the screen didn't look impressed as he glared into the camera. In the background Hakuba saw a neatly made bed and a creamy color wall. In the corner he could partially see a window and morning light seeping from it. If this was a set up, it was pretty well made. Not that he expected any less.

_"_ _Finished with your inspection, detective?"_ Kaito asked with a mocking tone, smirking at Saguru's focused expression.

Hakuba cleared his throat and cast an apologetic glance at the magician. "Sorry, habit…"

Kuroba snorted and stretched, leaning more comfortably on the chair he was sitting on. _"Don't fret, you had me used to it anyway~ Aoko mentioned you wanted something from me? By the way~ Your reaction didn't disappoint me~"_ He chuckled. It took a moment for Saguru to recall the photo the girl made a day before.

He sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. "Well, glad to have improved your mood-"

_"_ _You sure did~"_

Saguru gave him a glare for interrupting him again, but Kaito's grin only widened. "Well anyway… I need to speak to you more privately. Could you arrange that?" he asked, getting right to the point, in case Kuroba tried to distract him more.

The magician raised an eyebrow. _"Thought we are talking now? Don't know at your end, but I'm alone here,"_ he added with a shrug, acting completely oblivious to what the detective could have meant.

It wasn't anything Hakuba didn't expect though. "I am alone, but I don't believe this line is secure, is it?"

Kaito grinned. _"What do you mean? It's the internet~! Of course it's safe~"_

Of course… "So? Could we meet to talk?" Saguru asked, unflinching from the mock.

_"_ _Not unless you intend to take the flight_ , _"_ he mused, focusing his gaze somewhere above the camera. _"Then again, I wouldn't put it past you to actually do it."_ He shrugged. _"Well, if you do,_ _try to keep in mind that I am busy with my internship."_

"Of course…" Saguru replied dryly. "Well, I do hope you're having fun there, but-"

_"_ _Yeah, I am having fun realizing my dream."_ Kaito cut in a bit harshly. _"So you have to find some other distraction for the time being. Sorry, but can't really fill that position at the moment~ Anyway, I'm sure you can find some case worth your time or something like that~"_

Hakuba decided to ignore the words, knowing full well that they were just another tool in Kuroba's hands and focused on the tone and slight bags under his eyes. The magician did seem slightly on edge. And it was worrying that the detective could see it.

"Something wrong, Kuroba? You seem tired…"

Kaito waved a hand dismissingly. _"Surprised really? I'm not immune to jetlag, you know. And it was a long flight. Didn't get much sleep at night either and it's morning here now,"_ he said while rubbing his eyes, but grinned despite it. _"Still have high hopes for today~ But I will sleep like a log afterwards without a doubt~"_

It didn't seem like he would be giving any hints to the detective this time. Maybe he was too tired for it? Or just decided to keep him away? Either way, it didn't seem like there was any point in pushing. Especially through the 'safe internet'.

"Well, I do hope everything will go according to your plan. So you'll be returning after Summer break?"

_"_ _Yeah, something like that. Would be a waste to come back sooner_ , _" he_ answered with a shrug.

"Alright. Got anything you want me to pass to anyone?" he asked, giving the magician an opening if he needed it.

Kaito raised an eyebrow. _"Not really. Told everything I wanted to Aoko myself."_ He cast a glance to the side for a moment. _"Well, if that's all, I'll be taking my leave…"_ he stated, lingering there in case the detective wanted to ask anything else.

"Alright. Sorry to have kept you. Call me again if you change your mind."

The magician smirked. _"Nah, I don't think I will. Sorry. So...? See you when I get back?"_

Saguru nodded slowly, accepting the hint to leave him alone. "See you then, take care."

_"_ _Bye~"_ Kaito replied with a flawlessly cheerful smile and disconnected the call.

The conversation did nothing to help with Hakuba's worry. He saved the file with the chat to look through it later on. Not that he really expected to find anything off there, but it couldn't hurt. He checked the tracking program, which he had turned on beforehand. He expected it to point at some hotel room in Vegas, so he was slightly surprised to see that the call came from a national park in Somalia. Absently he wondered if you could even connect with the internet from there, but dismissed the thought as soon as it came. It was more than obvious that Kaito set it like that to give a hint that he did not wish to be found, so most likely there wasn't much point in searching. He sighed heavily and gave another glance at the video from their conversation. The room behind the magician seemed as any other neat hotel room and even with the window it didn't seem to be anything off. Then again, would it help him really if he noticed that the light was in reality artificial? Probably not…

With thoughts like that he headed back to sleep, wondering if there was any point in telling about his conversation to his fellow detectives.

* * *

The three weeks that followed didn't bring much revelation. From what Saguru knew, Kaito stayed in touch with Aoko every other day, but he didn't call the detective anymore, and he didn't ask him through the girl to do it either. She did however happily supplied Hakuba with a few videos and photos taken during the internship. Pretty well prepared, but Saguru did notice bits and pieces off, hinting that those were most likely not the originals. It was worrying that the magician didn't apparently have time to make them in more detail. Or maybe he was just overthinking it?

Hattori had little trouble with coming over as often as he did, due to the mock exams and his parents' displeasure with his constant voyages, so with Shinichi's approval, he decided to stay in Osaka for now. Instead he focused again on his research, making very little progress as it was. He didn't neglect his friends or Kazuha, but couldn't help it and felt slightly guilty for having the opportunity Shinichi lacked.

As for Kudo… Well, he did stumble on a few cases that needed solving during the time of course. Besides that, Haibara returned to school, so most of the time he didn't spend in archives or taking shelter at Hakuba's, he roamed with the Detective Boys playing in the park or solving minor cases – like searching for pets or objects. As mind numbing it was, it was also distracting, so he didn't try to avoid it too much. However, he had a harder time talking with Ran as his teenage self through the phone, painfully aware of the ticking clock and how little he could do to stop the passage of time.

* * *

Nothing indicated that Monday 13 July would be different than any other day. School came and passed in lazy hours and Shinichi was on his way with the rest of the kids to the park, when his gaze lingered on a news stand and his eyes widened at a site of the familiar white cape on the front cover. He rushed closer to take a look. The article announced that KID had sent a heist notice for Friday. He felt his heartbeat hasten and barely noticed the children gather around him and peek at the newspaper he was holding.

"Oooh~ There is going to be a KID heist? Hope it's not very late…" Ayumi chirped at his left.

Mitsuhiko hummed with displeasure. "Ahh… it seems it will be held at a private party… I doubt we can go…"

"Bet Conan will get an invitation…" Genta grumbled with jealousy and poked the bespectacled boy. "Oi, take us with you Conan, will you? We want to get a shot at catching KID. We were so close last time we tried…" He whined, recalling the 'Kirin Horn' heist.

Shinichi chuckled dryly. Somehow he didn't recall any close calls for the kids at catching the kaitou back then and it was more like they helped him with it, but he wasn't about to point it out.

"Yeah… Will you try, Conan-kun? Pleaseeee~!" Ayumi pleaded, pulling on his arm.

"Give him a break. It's not like it's up to Edogawa-kun to pick who he takes with him. More like he might get dragged there." Unexpectedly, Ai defended her favorite guinea pig.

"Yeah~ Sorry, guys. But I will try?" He offered with a sheepish smile, which was thankfully enough for the Detective Boys.

They went on forming a tactic which they could use against KID and Shinichi took the first excuse he could to slip away and call Hakuba about the heist. Apparently the Brit already knew about it and was going to make sure with his father that he would get an extended passage to the event, so he could take his fellow detectives with him. He called Hattori next, whom he managed to surprise with the news, as the Osakan was busy that day and didn't get to read the news yet. He promised to make arrangements to come, glad that he had his mock exams done the week before, with the last one coming on the next day.

They weren't sure if they would manage to talk with KID during that event, as it was still before the Summer break and he could be simply forced to make the heist. Their suspicions were somewhat confirmed when they looked into the target, which turned out to be quite the catch. "The Dresden Green Diamond" was a 41 carats natural green diamond, incorporated into an extremely valuable golden hat ornament, surrounded by two large and 411 medium-sized and small diamonds. Usually it was displayed in the "New Green Vault" at Dresden Castle in Germany. Most likely it was rented specially to lure the kaitou to add glamour to the 13th birthday daughter of a rich philanthropist. It did undoubtedly look like an irresistible chance for the thief.

Despite the little chances they had for a talk, it was worth to give it a try, especially since Shinichi felt a very strong need to know what the magician wanted to offer him.

* * *

But a bigger surprise came two days later, on Wednesday. Jirokichi Suzuki liked to do things grand. And apparently he wanted to make sure that the kaitou got his message, so he used an army of commercial strapped cars and planes pulling banners bearing an invitation to a showdown with KID later that evening at his new build facility, just a short drive from Tokyo. The prize (lure) was a Hungarian encrusted dagger with sheath called "Karmazsin Tőr" – "The Crimson Dagger". It had three 21 carat rubies on the handle and two red 23 carat diamonds on the sides of the sheath, accompanied by 290 smaller, white diamonds. It might have seemed like a smaller catch, but unlike "The Dresden Green," this was a part of a private collection, usually not shown for display, so it could be harder for the kaitou to get a chance to get his hands on it later on. It wasn't evident yet if Suzuki managed to buy it, or only rented it, but it didn't matter as the commercial said that it would only be displayed only for two days at the grand opening of a new military museum.

Conan just rolled his eyes at it and to called Heiji to pass the news when he managed to get back to Mouri's agency.

_"_ _WHAT?!"_ The Osakan shouted in shock after Shinichi explained him why he was calling.

The boy rubbed his ear. "No need to shout, Hattori…" He grumbled, displeased. "Anyway. Just wanted to tell you about it, but you don't have to come. It seems to be some kind of a bunker-like building, so I really doubt we will get any chance to talk to the guy, even if we do get to go inside." He explained, reading the information from a website. "We also don't even know if he will show. Might not be able to."

_"_ _Like hell I'm not coming! And you know he will come. Anyway, I told you I'm already finished with the exams here. Just need to convince my mom, so she would pass it to father and the school and I'm off. Should be in Tokyo around… 5 PM. When was the challenge scheduled?"_

"7 PM. Should be enough time to get there, even if the traffic will be heavy. I'll pass the word to Mouri-no-ojisan, to make sure we pick you up. We'll meet Hakuba on the site later on," he offered with a soft smile. It would be nice to see the Osakan actually.

_"_ _Ok, thanks~ See you there then! I'll send you a text when I'll get on the train."_

"Alright, bye," he replied and disconnected the call.

He pocketed his phone and smirked to himself. Well, at least the evening would be interesting. Jirokichi was bound to make a show out of this one, as he usually did. He had to stop his musings, as Ran called him out for dinner. While eating, he broke the news about the Osakan coming over, which had Kogoro grumbling and Ran asking about Kazuha.


	30. The phantom dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Suzuki Jirokichi makes a challenge, Kaitou KID is bound to respond! And stun all of his fans while doing it :D

Suzuki's challenges were considered to be the best type of KID heists for a good reason. Since Jirokichi's goal was to add the capturing of the kaitou to his biography, he paid extra attention to having it well documented on film. In that situation, it didn't require much more resources to present the whole event to the gathered public. And cash in profit, of course. This is why the area around the new military museum has provided its visitors with enough parking lots, souvenir and food stalls, as well as sanitary facilities in addition to the huge monitors displayed before the building. The screens were connected to a small barrack that was going to be used as a command center. From there, Suzuki Jirokichi was going to monitor the situation along with invited detectives and police.

When Nakamori Ginzo heard that his officers wouldn't be allowed to partake in the chase, he was angry. He did expect trouble from the old man, as per usual, and he started wondering if perhaps giving him a headache wasn't another goal for Jirokichi.

For this heist, Suzuki hired 12 men, whom he paid extra to spend ALL of their time paired for the last week. They were to do everything without losing eye contact with at least one of them even for a moment, so that it would be impossible for KID to impersonate any of them. They even slept in shifts. Those 12 men entered the building and were closed inside before Jirokichi sent his challenge. What's more, the museum was constructed just a few months ago with the sole purpose of catching the thief (and later on serving as a museum, but that felt more like a side goal or an excuse), so it lacked any convenient hideouts or passages and was supplied with motion sensors, cameras and thick iron gates. Beside the regular entrances, there was only one other way inside - a narrow tube-like vent wide enough for a grown man to slid through inside, but practically impossible to serve as a way out. And as for now it, was the only open passage.

The inspector looked at the gathered crowd and meanly wondered what the guy would do if KID simply decided that he didn't feel like entering this giant rat trap and ignored the challenge. Most likely he would try to cover his failure with boasting about how the thief was afraid of him. He gave a heavy sigh. The whole plan for capturing him... might not have been a bad one. Actually it would be most likely impossible for anyone to avoid getting captured by it. The problem was that KID wasn't just 'anyone' and with his experience with the thief, Nakamori saw a few major flaws to the plan. First of all, the building was huge, so it was impossible for only 12 men to cover it, meaning that the main line of defense was entrusted to devices – cameras and motion sensors. And those should be used as support for humans rather than the other way around. The inspector was nearly sure that KID would exploit that gap. Another flaw of the plan was to leave only one entrance, which screamed 'trap' and hope that KID would use it. It was obvious he wouldn't. There wasn't even a question about it. The kaitou never did what they wanted him to. There even was once a heist where they didn't see him touch the ground even once, running only on walls and ceiling. Ginzo sighed heavily. He found himself wondering if he wouldn't prefer to cheer for KID just this time, just to be able to watch the old man fuming in rage and have his mind blown by the ridiculous impossibility. Hiding a smirk, he stepped back into the command center, bracing himself for another shout out with Jirokichi.

* * *

There were still 16 minutes and 36.21 seconds left until the heist started, when Hakuba stepped out of the command center, wondering if his fellow detectives wouldn't be late. Due to the popularity of the event, the traffic was heavy, so it might as well turn out to be impossible for them to make it in time. He was about to enter the small barrack again, when he thought he heard a familiar voice break through the crowd. And yes, when he looked closer, he recognized two figures closing in. Apparently Kogoro wasn't happy with Heiji for some reason, as he seemed to be complaining to the tanned teen about something. The Osakan didn't look happy about it, but excluding occasional grumbling, he decided to endure the scolding for some reason. What Saguru wondered the most about was why he didn't see Conan with them. He approached the duo when they passed the police barrier.

"Good evening, Mouri-san."

Kogoro shot him an annoyed glare and snorted. "Che! I have no idea why they let you brats around here anyway!" And without replying to the greeting, he stormed into the barrack.

Hakuba raised an eyebrow at Heiji, seeking explanation. "What happened? And where is Conan-kun?"

The Osakan was still rubbing his cheek, sore from the police check-up and gave the Brit a flat stare, apparently still irked by the treatment he received from Mouri. "Said he wanted to check something and gave a slip to Otchan, leaving me to distract him." It didn't take a detective to deduce that he wasn't happy about being left behind. He tucked his hands into his pockets and stepped into the barrack.

Despite himself Saguru chuckled. "I see…" He followed his friend. "Do you know if he intends to get back?"

Heiji shot him a glance and showed him a Detective Badge, before turning his attention to the monitors inside the command center. "Said he'd contact me if he found anything or needed help." He mumbled while his eyes scanned the screens, leaning towards them.

The Brit frowned. Was the Osakan not telling him something? He turned his attention to the monitors as well. "What are you looking for?"

"Just wondered if…" He trailed off as his eyes widened. "Shit-!" He cursed under his breath and rushed out.

Saguru turned his head violently after his fellow detective and to the screens again, before jolting out after Heiji. "What is it, Hattori?" He called out, but didn't receive an answer.

Two officers that were returning from their brief break to the bathroom noticed the two teens and recognized them. Without much thought, they followed as well. Saguru could only congratulate himself for his shape, as he didn't even break a sweat as he rushed after Heiji around the building and away from the crowd. He couldn't shake off an ominous feeling. And it clicked.

"Hattori! Where are you going?" he demanded. "There are no cameras here…"

The Osakan slowed down. "Yeah…" he huffed out. "And isn't that a pity~?" He added with KID's voice and suddenly turned around with a razor-like grin on his face.

"Shit-! KID, wai-!" Hakuba called out, but it was too late.

The distance was far too short for the detective to hope for escape. As he reflected, it would be probably better to press on to pass the disguised thief, but in surprise Saguru jerked back, colliding with the two following officers. On the other hand, KID didn't waste his opportunity and sprayed the three men with the pink sleep gas. Hakuba tried to fight off its effect, to say something, or to grab the kaitou. But his fingers couldn't hold the material of his shirt and his mind was quickly getting overcome by haze. The last thing he heard before falling to oblivion was KID whispering with glee:

"Nighty night, Tantei-san~"

* * *

There were only a few seconds left, so the crowd started their countdown, when suddenly the lights inside the building flickered and went off for just a moment. But it was apparently enough. People let out a shrill of excitement as they saw their idol standing in the place of one of the guards, grinning towards the camera. He raised a finger to his lips as if asking for discretion, causing Nakamori to howl out to the three other guards, who were standing with their backs turned to the display and apparently somehow not noticing the kaitou!

"You idiots! He was disguised as Yamao all along! Get him before he gets away!" The guards heard from their earphones.

The lights flickered again as the three men, following their order, tackled the white figure. A blink later everyone saw KID crouching on the display, with the encrusted dagger in his hand, looking down at the wrestling men. Before the guards could recollect themselves, the thief dropped a smoke bomb, while already moving and jumping forward. On the monitors, they saw western door open and the white figure rush out of it. Suzuki snatched the microphone from Nakamori.

"He's taken the west door, follow him! He is headed towards the medieval route!"

Nakamori and Mouri flinched in compassion at what they saw next. The smoke in the display dispersed enough just in time for everybody to see a guard bumping into the opened door. Another man reached and ripped off a sheet with a picture of the open passage, revealing a completely closed door underneath. Kogoro chuckled at the sight, but covered it with clearing his throat under the heavy gaze of Ginzo. Meanwhile, the monitor operators were reporting KID's position to the remaining guards, who tried to follow the kaitou, while the trapped four opened the door.

The inspector growled with anger and snapped a pencil he was holding. "He seems to know where the guards are-!"

"Sir, look!" A sharp officer cut in, bringing Nakamori's attention. "KID doesn't show on the sensor monitors!"

"He must have tinkered with the sensors," Jirokichi retorted.

Ginzo frowned. "Not so sure about that… They show the guards…"

"He must have made them unable to point out only his location!" Kogoro deduced.

The inspector spared him an unimpressed glare, before turning back to the monitors, unwilling to lose sight of KID. "And how would he do that?!"

While the headquarters quarreled, the guards tried desperately to fulfill their role, but couldn't even get as much as a glimpse of the white cape! The monitor operators however were well trained and with help of the Kaitou KID Task Force members, they managed to coordinate the men to somehow herd the thief, as they wished to. They saw him stop on a crossing, as the guards were closing in on him. Soon they would reach him and he had nowhere to run! But then KID grinned, turning his gaze to the camera. He covered himself with his cape and stepped backwards… Into the wall!

"HOW?!" The men gathered in the command center demanded in unison.

As ordered, the guards inspected the wall as they finally reached the place, but didn't notice anything off. Meanwhile there was another flick of light and KID emerged in the display room again. He pulled out the sheath from under his cape and left it on the pedestal with a card. He bowed to the camera, as the guards desperately tried to return to the room in time. Suddenly smoke started coming out of his suit and slowly the kaitou faded into thin air, as a phantom he was called would.

* * *

The control room fell quiet and Nakamori felt his eyebrow twitch. There were so many questions flowing through his mind, demanding to be voiced first, but he decided to ask the one which had a chance to be answered.

"Why did he leave the sheath?" He turned towards Jirokichi, already having an idea about it himself.

The old man snapped out of his gaping and smirked. "Because it's a fake obviously. I had a hunch that this wouldn't stop him today."

Ginzo wasn't even surprised. "And why wasn't I informed about it?" He glared at the man.

Suzuki raised an eyebrow, as if the answer was obvious. "Because I didn't want KID to overhear about it." He folded his arms and sighed, turning his attention back to the monitors and mumbled. "But I am disappointed that we didn't get to see how he entered the building or left it… I did hope that today would provide us with some clues to help us capture him."

At least apparently the man wasn't the fool Nakamori started believing he was.

Meanwhile, the guards managed to finally return to the display room and one of them, named Hayashi Shuji, cried out to the command center.

_"What happened here anyway?"_

Ginzo vaguely heard one of the monitor operators reply with a sigh.

"Apparently KID was Yamao all along or somehow managed to swit-"

He didn't get to finish as a shocked _"Huh?!"_ interrupted him and suddenly all of the guards tackled their colleague. Jirokichi snatched a microphone.

"What's the meaning of this?!"

 _"Sir! We captured KID!"_ the guard leader reported.

"What?!"

_"You said it was Yamao, and he was with us all along!"_

"It's not me! I'm not KID! Let me go!" the unfortunate Yamao cried out, while being pressed to the floor and getting tied up.

"What the hell..?" Ginzo mumbled, his eyes flicking through the screens.

Kogoro laughed. "That idiot didn't have a way out! So he just blended with the guards and hoped to get out with them!"

Nakamori grabbed the microphone. "When did Yamao reappear?"

 _"Sir?"_ Hayashi replied with a confused tone.

"Just answer the question." Suzuki ordered, eyeing the inspector.

 _"Yes sir. He never left. Actually he was running by my side through the whole chase... the bastard..."_ he cursed hoping that it wouldn't be noticed.

"What the hell is going on here..?" Ginzo mumbled and looking at the men gathered in the room. He would've liked to hear what one of those smart-ass detectives had to say about this... Weren't they supposed to be there? He could have sworn he saw Saguru earlier. "Where is Hakuba-kun?" he asked out loud.

"Ah yes, that reminds me, Mouri-san weren't you supposed to bring the KID-killer with you?" Jirokichi asked with suspicion.

Kogoro rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I did but that bra- kid ran off somewhere when I took my eyes off him for a second."

"And you didn't report this?" Nakamori growled at him.

The detective shrugged. "He always does that and it's not like KID could disguise as him, so I only made sure to keep my eye on the Osaka- wait... Where is he?" Confused, he turned around, looking for Heiji.

"Has anybody seen either of them?" Ginzo called out, casting angry looks at the gathered men.

"Sir... I think I noticed two teenage boys, but they left in a hurry long before the heist started..." one of the monitor operators said quietly. "I was busy, so didn't really pay them much attention…" he added apologetically.

The inspector sighed in annoyance, angry that he and his men gotten too used to the immature detectives running around wherever they pleased. But truth be told, they did get the best results that way, so he didn't want to limit them too much. And who knew? Maybe they actually were on KID's track right now.

"Alright…" he grumbled. "In that case, we need to find them." And he already was turning to give out orders, when Kogoro's snort stopped him.

"What for? I'm sure they'll come around soon enough. Right now you have to send in men to retrieve KID!" The Sleeping Detective reminded him, pointing at the monitor, where the guards still awaited for further orders.

"Wait!" Ginzo cut in before Suzuki could say a word. "It might be a diversion. It is still possible that KID is in there, but he doesn't have to be Yamao."

"What are you saying?" Mouri mocked. "Are you blind? We saw him with our very eyes being that guy!"

"KID makes a living from deceiving people!" The inspector corrected him and turned to Jirokichi. "Sir, let my men handle this. They will secure the entrance and check all of the guards."

"Well, it's not like your men have a high record of discovering him!" Suzuki huffed. "You may send in your men, but I'm going with them!"

"Sir..?" Ginzo raised an eyebrow unsure if he heard correct.

"If that is KID there, I want to personally unmask him! Plus, I'm not sure if your men are up for the job!"

Nakamori growled with annoyance, but held back a retort and instead gave his orders. He dispatched a few of the officers to search for the missing detectives and directed the rest of his force towards the museum building. Walking beside Jirokichi and Kogoro, who decided to tag along, they soon entered it. He wasn't really surprised to find out that Yamao wasn't KID in disguise. Apparently none of the guards were. He even had them take off their jackets to confirm that their bulkiness was natural. He knew that it was impossible for the kaitou who often posed as a female to have such build. But just in case any of the 12 men were KID's associates, he had them driven to the station for questioning. They read the card left by the thief alongside the fake sheath.

 _*Thank you for your invitation and for preparing such a nice gift for me._  
However, I find it such a shame to divide a set of such fine treasures and offend it with crude fakes!  
I shall return tomorrow in hopes that you'll decide to fix this mistake!  
Kaitou KID (doodle)*

Apparently Suzuki found it amusing and was overall pleased with the promise left by the thief.

Nakamori cleared his throat. "Sir, I hope that as for tomorrow, you'll allow my men to partake in the protection of the sheath." It would've been probably more polite to phrase it as a question, but the inspector didn't have it in him to do so.

Jirokichi cast him a glance and hummed, wondering about it. "Well, since you arrested my special security, it doesn't seem like I have much choice in the matter. Hiring anybody now would be just making it easy for that pesky thief!" He laughed out loud, apparently not upset about the outcome in the least.

Somehow Ginzo had a feeling that this was his plan all along. Well, at least now the police had their chance to trigger the well-prepared trap. If only they could figure out how KID came inside the building, disappeared in the middle of it and left… 'The freaking thief and his teleportation tricks' the inspector thought with annoyance, but found it hard to conceal his grin.

* * *

Meanwhile it didn't take long for the few officers to find Hakuba and two of their comrades. They were still sleeping, neatly tied up to a tree, on the other side of the museum. Conan and Heiji were found by some of the fans, as they managed to wake up before the officers reached them and called out for help. Apparently the kaitou left them in a small stash behind one of the souvenir stalls.

Of course KID wouldn't be a gentleman if he didn't leave them with a sort of an explanation, as to why he found it inevitable to take out his detectives before the heist started. Not that anybody had any doubts that he simply wanted to get rid of his most dangerous obstacles and the cards left behind were only to enrage them.

 _*My dear Tantei~_  
I am truly sorry about this.  
However it didn't escape my attention how cramped the tiny barrack was!  
I couldn't bear the thought that you might get crushed in there!  
So in order to be able to focus on my show, I decided to keep you away from it and safe~  
Please do take better care of yourself in the future!  
Yours truly, Kaitou KID (doodle)*

Shinichi did not appreciate the allusion to his fragile body, but since each of them received an identical one, it was Heiji who got angry by it and shred his card in half.

"Worry about yourself, you ahou!" he growled with anger.

"Oi! What do you think you're doing?!" a police officer cried out, scolding the teen. "That was evidence!"

Hattori shot him a glare, but immediately looked away, feeling abashed as he recalled that it wasn't just a prank-note from a friend. "Well it's not like it was the only copy and KID never leaves any traces anyway…" he grumbled as an excuse.

The man sighed, knowing full well that what Heiji said was right. As well as how vexatious getting knocked out by KID could be. "Yeah, well… procedures are still to be followed. Just keep that in mind, alright?" he offered with a compassionate smile, taking the two parts of the note and bagging them.

* * *

The unfortunate seller was taken in for questioning under suspicion of cooperating with the thief. He asked a colleague to keep an eye for his stall while he was gone. Fortunately for him, there wasn't any evidence to the claim that he had anything in common with KID and the only thing the detectives found interesting, when they heard about his answers, was that on every other day, the seller ran a store in Ekoda. But they of course kept why it was interesting to themselves. Although to his satisfaction, the seller noticed after he returned that while he was gone, all of his merchandise were sold out, since apparently quite few of the fans wanted to buy a souvenir from the stall KID himself shown interest in.

* * *

"Hey, Hakuba. He caught you by surprise as well, eh?" Shinichi approached the Brit, as he noticed him sitting beside the barrack and massaging his temples.

Saguru shot him a glance and noticed Heiji following. "Hello and yes… Unfortunately, you are correct. Care to tell me what happened on your end?"

Conan sighed, tucking hands in his pockets. "Well, soon after we parted with the girls, Otchan said he had to go to the bathroom. We didn't even manage to lose the sight of him when we noticed somebody looking like Kuroba. He saw us too and fled so…" He cast an annoyed glare in Heiji's direction. "Hattori ran after him. Before I could stop him, KID managed to lure us to the back of the stands and knock us out."

"Oi, give me a break already, will you?" The Osakan complained. "I couldn't let him just disappear like that…"

Shinichi rolled his eyes, already bored with arguing about it. "Yeah, yeah… Well, anyway. I just can't figure it out how he managed to make Otchan leave in that exact moment. He didn't eat nor drink anything since we ate at the Agency…" He shrugged, dismissing it for the moment. "I guess he did it to use him to pass the checkup without suspicion and fool you. The question is why he wanted to get rid of us?"

Saguru gave an abashed expression. "I do admit that I dropped my guard because he approached me as Hattori. He did make a striking impression of him…" He added warily, focusing his gaze on the Osakan.

Heiji shot him an annoyed glare in return. "If you're thinking about pinching my cheek, or something like that, I'm gonna-"

"Oi, oi~" the shrunken detective cut in, half amused. "Give him a break, Hattori. KID got him too."

The blonde sighed, turning away from the tanned teen. "As for why, we can only guess. Maybe we'll figure it out after seeing the footage?"

Shinichi nodded, coming to a similar conclusion. "Have you managed to find out anything about what happened while we were out?"

Saguru pointed with his head the paramedics who were packing their things. "Unfortunately, I just woke up. I did overhear that they found out that the pedestal was hollow. Apparently they believe that this was where KID hid himself."

Conan narrowed his eyes and mumbled. "But this doesn't explain how he entered the building..."

"No, it doesn't. And from what I've heard, Adviser Suzuki had the vent watched over before the heist even started. So it is unlikely that he used that passage…" Hakuba mused, prompting his chin.

"Well, not much use talking about it. Best go now and watch the footage." Heiji reasoned, tucking his hands in his pockets and already directing his steps into the barrack, causing Saguru to have a Déjà vu sensation.

"Hakuba, you ok?" Shinichi snapped the Brit out of his daze, standing in the entrance.

Saguru shook his head and stood up. "Yes, sorry. Just recalled something."

Conan raised his eyebrow and watched the blonde enter the room. "Something important?"

"Maybe…" He wondered as he apologized and ducked under the display board, near the monitors where he remembered the disguised kaitou leaned before. "Could I ask for some advice here? I would appreciate gloves as well, he added, tapping his pockets and not finding any of his own.

Conan ducked underneath and noticed a very small bump, barely visibly sticking out from underneath the board. He snorted. "That explains why he wanted to enter here."

"Yes, it seems so… I wonder what it is though…" Saguru replied and made space for a technician who joined him. "Do you think it is safe to take it out?"

The man shot him a wary look. "What do you mean?"

Hakuba shrugged. "I don't know much about electronics, but if it is possible, I imagine KID would want to secure it from us prying into his devices."

The technician hummed and poked out from under the board. "Oi, Zengo! Take a look if you can see what's on this. Seems like a pendrive or something."

The called out IT specialist gave a nod and started tapping on the computer, while Conan noticed Jirokichi, Ginzo and Kogoro return with two officers.

"What is going on here?" The older man demanded, noticing the gathering.

"Sir, Hakuba-kun found some kind of device from KID under the command board."

"Oh~? Good job, boy~! What is it?" he asked with a wide smile on his face.

Saguru got out from underneath the board and dusted off his pants. "Not sure, sir. We want to be careful about it. Have you found anything interesting inside the museum, beside the hollowed pedestal?"

Ginzo shook his head, eyeing the monitor next to Zengo. "Not really. We've sent the material KID used to fool the guards, as well as the card and fake sheath to the lab, but I wouldn't expect any results."

Hakuba nodded, but it was Hattori who spoke. "Mind if we take a look at the footage now?"

Jirokichi replied jovially in his stead: "Of course. We were about to sit down with it anyway. Maybe you boys will notice something?"

Kogoro snorted. "Since they let KID fool them once, I doubt they will be much of a help anyway."

Heiji glared at him. "Oh yeah? But it was you who gave him cover and brought him here."

Mouri glared back at him, but Suzuki stepped between them with raised hands. "Maa, maa, we all know how cunning that white sinner is, let's not argue between us and join-"

He suddenly got cut off by a shriek from a technician, who bumped into the tiny device as he tried to get out from underneath the board. The pendrive started sending out sparks and smoke. Conan immediately jumped in and pulled the smoldering device out, before it could cause any damage to the computer.

"Boy, are you alright?!" Suzuki asked, sounding worried.

"That was reckless Conan-kun, did you burn yourself?" Ginzo was already reaching out to the boy.

Shinichi shook his head and held out his hand, showing the smoking pendrive. "No, I'm fine. Figured it's KID's so it couldn't be dangerous. See? It's not even hot from the outside. But I'm afraid this will be useless now…"

"He probably had it secured so that if the power was cut it would self-destruct…" Heiji mussed, glad that his friend was alright and that his gasp 'Kudo!' was unheard in the commotion.

Saguru nodded, glaring at Hattori (apparently not all missed his slip). "Yes, that's what I was afraid of."

"S-sorry… lost my balance." the technician apologized with his head ducked between his shoulders.

Ginzo eyes suspiciously the man and after scolding, he had him and his colleague Zengo questioned to make sure that it truly was just an accident. He sent the destroyed device to the lab as well in case the forensics there could figure out anything from it. As the commotion passed, the group sat to watch the footage from the heist.

While watching it and taking the tiny gadget into account, the detectives had already an idea about the trick KID used. But there was a problem with it.

"It's unlike him…" Saguru mumbled, narrowing his eyes, with Conan replying to him with a nod.

"What? You figured it out? Then spit it out already!" Ginzo demanded, still unsure how to connect the dots.

"There seems to be two possibilities, ne?" Heiji asked, eyeing the Brit, who confirmed. The rest gave him annoyed glares, so Hattori waved his hands apologetically. "Well, if I had to guess, I'd say that he used this device to send prepared footages through it. Since you didn't find anything in the place he disappeared in and apparently for the whole chase he managed to avoid getting seen by the guards, I would guess that he was never there to begin with."

"WHAT?!" Kogoro shouted furiously. "What are you talking about? They've obviously seen him in the display room and he has stolen the dagger! He had to be there!"

"Well, there are two possible explanations to that." Saguru stepped in before a quarrel could burst out. "Either he never left in the display room and had you send the guards off on a goose chase, while he hid himself in the pedestal. Or a guard was cooperating with him. It is even possible that all of them were. In that case, he just had his accomplice hide the dagger somewhere and leave the card in the commotion, without KID ever going in there. If so, then the blade should be still somewhere in the building…Unless KID already managed to retrieve it already, of course."

"I would highly doubt that any of my people were involved." Jirokichi argued with slight annoyance in his tone. "I didn't only have the men watch each other for the last week, I also had them watched. It is hard for me to believe that one of them, let alone to whole four I had chosen as the most trustworthy connive with KID."

"We're not accusing anybody, just laying out the possibilities." Hakuba replied amicably.

Still, it was all strange, Shinichi mused, focusing his gaze on the smoldered USB port. Kuroba wasn't a stranger to aiding his heists with technology, but to run most of it that way? He did prefer to do everything personally. Why didn't he think of something else? Was it impossible? But it shouldn't have been if he already found a way to get inside. Maybe there was something wrong with him? But Hakuba did say he ran after the magician before the heist started and he seemed fine. So why...? Conan narrowed his eyes and the only conclusion he could to reach was that Kaito had too little time to prepare. Truth be told, the notice was short. Somehow this didn't ease him and lead him to wondering why Jirokichi decided to put out his challenge right before another scheduled heist in the first place.

Later on, when the report from the questioning came from the police station, it was revealed that the guards saw KID during the heist only once. It was when he was standing on the display case. Baffled, Ginzo questioned why they tackled one of their own in that case and they replied that they were following his orders.

"But I never said that they were to attack the guy!" Nakamori yelled in rage.

Kogoro frowned and nodded. "Yeah, if I remember correctly you said 'It's KID! Why don't you see him?!' or something like that…"

The inspector groaned. "He must have hacked into the connection and sent the order with my voice… Again!" And wasn't that the most annoying part that he was able to do it?

This seemed to confirm the theory about KID never leaving the display room and making the monitor operators to send the guards on a goose chase after a fake image. This also explained why he didn't show on the motion sensors. That way the kaitou gained enough time to determine that the sheath was a fake and allowed him to make his escape. But they still didn't know how he entered and left. Unfortunately, before the detectives could go and investigate the building themselves, Ran and Kazuha, accompanied by Sonoko came by and demanded to return home. Seeing that it was already late, Ginzo chased out Saguru as well, knowing that the detective had one last mock exam on the following day. In the end, the police settled for an explanation that KID managed somehow to fool the people watching over the vent entrance and took that road in. Since he already had access to the security system, it was possible for him to turn off any devices set to monitor it. And passing the vent like that both ways wouldn't have been the biggest stunt done by the kaitou.


	31. Through the rabbit hole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And here the second day of Suzuki challenge has come. Prepare yourself to be amazed, as Kaitou KID once again crosses the barrier of what is known to be impossible~

Since Ran and Conan had to go to school on the following day, Heiji and Kazuha had some free time on their hands. The girl wasn't happy at first, when she heard that the detective planned on doing some investigating. But when she heard what it was about she got interested and decided to give him a hand. Since it wasn't neither anything dangerous or directly connected to Kuroba, Hattori decided to allow her. It didn't turn out to be hard to find out that Kasuga Hachiro – the philanthropist who would be the host of the Friday's heist – had something like a rivalry going on with Suzuki Jirokichi. After some digging the teens discovered that the two men were known to put obstacles in each other way. What the Osakans found more bemusing was that apparently they tended to do it in sometimes rather childish manner. But at least that cleared one mystery of the heists.

Later on, as much as Heiji expected, pressing Kogoro a little resulted in him admitting that he actually didn't go to the toilet at all before the heist. To say it bluntly he lied. Apparently he got lured away by a female fan of his, who he of course couldn't deny giving an autograph. He was however highly disappointed, that the number she gave him in return turned out to be wrong. To the teens' dry amusement he just couldn't figure ou,t if she misspelled it by mistake or on purpose. It took him several tries with variations to the number to finally give up.

Since the detectives didn't have time to talk after the heist, they decided to meet at the Agency after school was finished for the other two. Nonetheless, neither Shinichi nor Heiji expected Saguru to show up with somebody.

"Ran-chan, Kazuha-chan~! I'm so glad to see you! Ah~! Sonoko-chan!" Aoko chirped upon entering, nearly drowning out Saguru's greeting.

She really was her father's daughter judging from the use of decibels, Shinichi mused with dry laugh. It was beyond him however how the Suzuki heiress managed to get along with the inspector's daughter, especially around heists. Sure, they did argue over it a bit, when one of them would get overexcited with their hate/love, but it wasn't as intense as one would expect and they could still chat cheerfully afterwards. Maybe Sonoko was simply glad to have one rival less? Whatever the reason, the girls were obviously busy with each other, exchanging gossips, so that left the detectives to talk a bit more freely.

"I apologize, but when I accidently slipped that Toyama-chan came along with you, Aoko-kun simply started begging to take her along." Hakuba explained abashed by the situation.

"No worries it's fine." Hattori waved off the matter, actually glad that Kazuha got to meet another of her friends. "More importantly I managed to figure out the reason behind the challenge..." he explained his findings, receiving tired sighs for his efforts.

Apparently neither of his fellow detectives were really surprised by Jirokichi's reasons. Even Kogoro, who apparently was half listening to the conversation out of sheer boredom commented on it with a snort.

"Some people clearly have too much money to waste."

Shinichi had his own comment on what he suspected the Sleeping Detective would gladly spend a fortune on. But he decided that any amount of satisfaction wasn't worth another bump on the head so he held back his tongue.

The girls were excited for the heist, each in her own way. They managed to get the detectives to explain them KID's trick from the previous night and the heiress was sure that for that night the kaitou would show them something different and even more mind blowing! And as Shinichi mussed over that assumption… He had to agree that it was very possible.

Thanks to Sonoko's courtesy they had access to blueprints of the building, so they could take a closer look at it.

"Soooo~?" The heiress interrupted them for the dozen time. "Figured it out yet~?"

Hattori glared at her. "How many times do we have to remind you that we're detectives, not architects, you ahou?!" He snapped at her.

Kazuha stepped in angered by her friend. "Heiji! Be nice!"

Sonoko crossed her arms and swaggered. "Yeah! You wouldn't even get to see this if not for me!"

Heiji groaned and rolled his eyes. "But we can't make heads or tails of it if you keep interrupting us!"

Fortunately Saguru was more than used to all sorts of commotion going around him when he tried to concentrate, so even while Shinichi was tiredly watching Ran's attempts to stop those kind of outbursts, he kept on working. The result however wasn't satisfying. On paper it did look like a perfect trap, with no flaws. Once again they regretted that they never had the opportunity to take a closer look around, because one thing was evident... Despite that it seemed impossible, Kuroba did find a way in and would most surely use this advantage to turn the trap into a kaitou playground. After coming to that conclusion, somehow neither Shinichi nor Saguru were sure anymore if they wanted to walk right into it during the heist, although neither had any intention of voicing those thoughts.

Sonoko sighed heavily. Not only weren't the detectives able to figure out the kaitou's way of entrance, they couldn't even make out what his trick would be! And she had such high hopes of surprising KID, by meeting him before the heist started or at least soon after.

"You guys are no help..." she muttered.

Conan laughed dryly, having his predictions about her reaction confirmed. Heiji on the other hand was utterly annoyed by her attitude.

"And how do you expect us to predict how Ku-KID's did it without anything to start with?! Plans are flawless, but you can draw anything on paper! We just have to wait and see. Doubt he can fool us and that's why he took us out yesterday. Today we'll just get in there and ruin his plans, right guys~?" he asked with cheerful tone, hoping that nobody took notice of his little slip.

Sonoko raised her eyebrow. "'Ku-KID'? What's that supposed to mean?" she asked annoyed that it might be some sort of osakan insult.

"Heiji… will you cut it out with your 'Kudo obsession'?" Kazuha complained rolling her eyes and Ran just sweat-dropped.

"I don't have a 'Kudo obsession'…" he muttered back.

"What obsession do you have in mind?" Aoko asked with curiosity.

"Yeah, you do…" The Osakan girl retorted and turned her attention to other girls. "He always makes those slips calling Conan-kun 'Kudo'. He even dressed up as the guy a couple of times! And now he's mixing KID with him..? you're hopeless Heiji…" She sighed.

"That was just for joke! Jeez… You have no sense of humor Kazuha!"

Toyama gave him a flat stare. "Heiji… I've heard that you said that you do it because you miss him so much…"

The tanned teen felt his eyebrow twitch. And how was he supposed to answer to that?!

Later they shared their thoughts and guesses, about what could happen during the second day of the heist. Although nothing was certain, they doubted that the kaitou would try to trick them with planted footage again. He most likely got rid of the detectives the other day, since he wanted to prevent his adversaries from noticing it too fast. There would be little hope this strategy would work again, even if he did manage somehow to get rid of the three again. Aoko was clearly not happy with the thought that KID might have the upper hand again, but she was cheered by Ran who pointed out that since this time the thief would have to face her father's men it would be harder for him. Shinichi smirked, figuring that the end result wouldn't be any different anyway, but he kept it for himself, only sharing knowing looks with Heiji and Saguru.

* * *

They arrived at the museum area early, but apparently the building was already closed off again. As for tonight's heist Nakamori had his own plan that included 40 officers, cuffed in pairs guarding the corridors. Apparently he had them training running around in such conditions for some time now and this would be the debut of it. The inspector figured that this way KID would have no way of blending with the crowd. To make matters more complicated for the kaitou, Ginzo had planned out the whole building and ordered the dispatched officers to keep their pursuit only in previously determined areas. This way he hoped to further prevent any confusion, which KID was so fond of, as well as it would keep his men from getting too tired with running after him. The policemen were only allowed to continue their pursuit, if the next group failed to reach them, allowing them to keep constant track of the kaitou's movement. This plan obviously had its flaws as well, but it did seem to be better than Jirokichi's. However…

"What do you mean 'we're not to enter the building'?" Heiji growled in annoyance. "You can cuff me up with Hakuba, so he won't disguise as neither of us and there is no way KID can run around as Conan!"

Nakamori glared at the teen, who was annoying him again. "It means just what I said. The building is closed now and you would get in my men's way anyway. If you want to help out, you're going to agree to not run off anywhere and stay put in the command center, where we can see you at all times."

Ginzo definitely did not want the events of the previous night repeated. Also, although he would not admit it out loud, those boys were awfully perceptive and he could use their insight to what would be shown on the screens during the heist. Hopefully, this way they would be able to notice faster, if KID decided to feed them again with false footage. Having them running around the building would be actually a waste of their abilities. The museum didn't have any hiding spots whatsoever and he dispatched enough men to cover the whole area. In the end it would come down to pure chase and in case of a clash grown men had the advantage of weight and pure strength over the boys.

Saguru internally sighed with relief. He was getting along with Heiji a whole lot better, true. But the concept of running around with him while cuffed together had 'bad idea' written all over the place. With how the Osakan was rash, they were bound to just drag each other around and overall get in each others' way, having a hard time to coordinate their movements. As for Shinichi running alone it didn't sound to him as a good idea either. Although Nakamori was hoping to prevent chaos, it was bound to happen anyway and since it would be the first time that the officers would be in pursuit in such arrangements, they could simply overlook the small boy and trample over him.

Heiji wasn't happy however with Ginzo's decision. There were little chances for them to try and talk with KID that night to begin with, but in this case they would get their chance only if he got caught. Which was not only doubtful, but undesired as well. What's more Hattori was still annoyed after the chat with the girls from earlier and he hoped to blow off some steam during the chase. And hell… he did not come all the way from Osaka, just to be able to watch the whole thing on a screen!

"Oh come on!" he growled with annoyance again. "I'm not some old prick to be sitting on my ass, watching others running!"

Ginzo's eyebrow twitched with anger. "What do you mean by that?! I'm not some old prick either! We're not opening the building and its final!"

"KID is not invisible you know! He won't be able to slip in with me, if you open it just for a moment! Hell! I can get in through that vent, if you're so stubborn about that!"

"Or I can get you banned from here if you don't like my plan, boy! You can all can either follow it or just scram!" Nakamori roared back.

Saguru stepped in his arms raised to calm down both sides. "Maa, maa… There's no need for that." He threw a pointed look at Heiji and turned back to Ginzo. "More importantly inspector I was curious, did you leave the vent open?"

Nakamori huffed, focusing his attention on the blonde, while Shinichi nudged Hattori to get his attention and give him a disapproving glare. Sure he did understand his friend's reasoning, but getting them into trouble over it wouldn't help them at all. They just had to wait for their chance on the next night, where it should be easier to move around unnoticed.

The inspector hummed and leaned closer to Hakuba, not willing to be overheard, before replying quietly. "Yeah we did. We even left the same observers as yesterday, but after KID will show up, they will be replaced by my men who will seal the vent with an iron blind. So if that's his getaway plan, he'll find himself trapped." he explained, hoping to get the bright boys' opinion about it.

Kogoro, who was listening to the exchange mildly interested till this point, leaned in as well to overhear the plan and now hummed, with the tone he used when he tried to appear more bright. "Hm… That should work, but only if he actually plans to use it."

Despite that it was an obvious statement Ginzo didn't try to argue with it. Instead he sighed. "Yeah, I know that. But I had a team searching for another entrance through the entire night and came up empty. I guess it is possible, that he did disguise himself as one of the guards yesterday and my men to enter today, but if we do it right today, he won't be able to use it to get out this time. So unless KID has a way to burst the doors open, his only way out will be the vent. I'll have men keeping heavy guard at entrances as well of course, but I would be surprised if he just tried to waltz out there like that."

Shinichi narrowed his eyes and turned to a screen, showing the interior of the building. This was the biggest question about the heist. He wondered how probable it was that KID blended with the team who investigated the building at night. Highly. But he saw at the blueprints that external walls of the museum were very thick and reinforced. All he would be able to do, was to set up some traps and tricks. Conan hummed. Then again Nakamori could be wrong about his getaway. If Kuroba would be careful, he should be able to prepare a trick that would swoop away the guarding police officers, without causing them much harm and walk out the main door, in all fame and glory that would impress his gathered fans. He let out a dry chuckle as his imagination ran lose and he pictured KID walking into the crowd to give out autographs, before the police would free themselves from anything he unleashed at them prior. Thankfully that was a very unlikely scenario. No matter how it would frustrate his pursuers, if he actually did that.

* * *

The fans started gathering in larger amount an hour before the previous heist had started. Since the kaitou didn't specify the time he would come, it was assumed that he would make his appearance at 7 PM as well. It was of course likely that he neglected stating the time to keep his pursuers at high alert at all time, but it could as well be simply the means to gain an element of surprise, so he would come at a different hour. Either way his fans were ready to wait as long as they had to and were content enough to see that the sheath hasn't been stolen before they arrived.

This is why there was only nervous silence instead of the countdown, when only few seconds were left to the expected hour. Four pairs of officers stood with their backs to the walls of the display room, their eyes focused on the pedestal. Suzuki didn't agree to have the sheath held by any of them, as he not only wanted to capture KID, but also have him make a good show. Flawlessly, when Hakuba's clock struck 7 PM the area around the building got filled with cheers, as the fans saw the pedestal get covered by the familiar white smoke and they soon saw the elegant kaitou boldly emerge from it. The officers, unlike the guards from the night before, didn't intend to give him the time to bow to his public and two opposite pairs launched at the thief in foul attempt to catch him. KID shot his grappling hook at the ceiling and swung above their outstretched hands, dropping headfirst at closed door before him. Two remaining pairs as trained ran at him. Just before the view was once again limited by smoke, both them and the public observing on the monitors, saw the kaitou take out a wobbly object from his pocket and throw it at the door, where it stuck forming a perfectly back circle. With a second delay the smoke appeared on the other side of the door allowing the officers there and camera lenses catch the sight of KID running out of it, with the dark object back in his hand. He flipped over the surprised guards and continued running. The officers inside were found that the door was still locked. As per instructed upon opening the obstacle only two pairs of the officers left the room and joined the chase, the other two left behind to make sure KID really left the display room this time. In the mean time, the kaitou lead on the chase after him, avoiding his pursuers either with his stunning acrobatics, or when it was impossible using the strange object to throw it on walls or doors to pass through them, with aid of his smoke bombs.

"What the hell is going on there?!" Nakamori roared to the radio, over shouting the monitor operators, doing their best to coordinate the officers. "Are you really seeing him?"

_"_ _Y-yes, sir!"_ An officer gasped out, not wasting his breath for further explanations.

"But how…" Ginzo frowned, his eyes flicking between the screens that showed where the kaitou have passed.

"He must have installed some kind of sliding door, planted on the walls around there." Kogoro replied, keeping focus on KID as he made a particularly demanding flip.

"Preposterous! How do you expect he's done that?" Jirokichi demanded.

"And what do you suggest? That KID is actually passing through solid objects with a portable black hole?!" The Sleeping Detective countered.

Shinichi frowned, still scanning the monitors with his piercing gaze. It did sound like the easiest solution, but it would be impossible for KID to conceal from discovery so many passages. Especially not from the recent inspection. The display room was checked in particular, by any means possible, save from tearing down the walls and researching each brick separately. One, or two passages outside of the room Kuroba might have been able to conceal, but up until now the kaitou repeated the trick six… seven times! Shinichi smirked seeing him do it once again. There had to be another explanation to it.

Meanwhile Ginzo had ordered the operators to try and coordinate his officers to herd the thief into a room with particularly thick walls, while keeping on pushing him away from external walls, with the help of nets that KID obviously tried to avoid. Their efforts resulted with an unexpected outcome. While the kaitou was forced into the desired place he tripped, most likely out of fatigue and had to use his grappling hook to avoid falling over. Unfortunately, it broke the lights in the room. This apparently surprised the thief as well, as he dropped his smoke pellets too fast this time. Then, when the smoke dissipated a moment too soon, the viewers before the screens were shocked to see KID's hand emerge from a black spot on the wall and rip the mysterious object off, pulling it inside! The dreaded screams from the officers, who witnessed it with their bare eyes and stumbled backwards at the sight, was enough of proof that this was no false footage shown to the audience. As previously KID emerged soon afterwards on the other side, but unfortunately he did so before another team could reach that area.

Remembering the trick from the night before the monitor operators were leading separate teams in all directions KID could run to, in order to avoid sending the officers on a goose chase. But with the use of his portable black hole the kaitou managed to end up in a corridor leading to the exit, without anybody on his way to stop him! The teams outside braced themselves for the possible encounter.

"Shut the iron bars now!" Jirokichi barked at his few men, responsible for security.

"Say what?" Ginzo snapped his gaze at the old man, who grinned widely.

"You didn't think that I didn't have anything more in store, did you?" He laughed haughty to which Nakamori just grumbled something about sly bastards who couldn't cooperate with the police, even if their lives depended on it.

With loud clatter the compact bars fell into place, fast enough to cut the kaitou from his freedom. Before reaching it KID rapidly turned on his heel towards the camera. Without stopping and with a wide grin on his face, he threw the wobbly object, covering the lens. The monitor went black and suddenly the team in the barrack could hear shrills of excitement outside. An officer burst into the command center panting.

"Inspector! KID just jumped out of the main monitor!"

"He did what?!" The gathered men pushed the poor officer outside only to get a glimpse of the white glider flying away with the kaitou still waving down to his excided fans.

Their attention was brought back into the barrack by a yelp from the speakers. Apparently one of the officers who were chasing KID managed to reach the place where the thief was last sighted and took back hole thingy off the camera, as the monitor was no longer black and showed four men standing around a smoldering and disappearing round object. Recollecting himself Nakamori pulled out a radio and ordered a chase after the glider, although he didn't have high hopes of catching it.

"So… what the hell did just happen here? How did he do it?" he asked tiredly all of the gathered there, without looking at them.

'If you rule out the impossible…' Shinichi gasped, his eyes turning round and wide. "He didn't!" yelled out, focusing his attention back on the screens. "It's still not finished!"

"What do you mean boy?" Suzuki demanded, unsure what to make of it.

"It must have been a dummy that flew away." He mumbled without giving much attention to his words. "KID had no way of transferring himself through the screen, meaning he didn't. He's probably still lurking somewhere inside!"

"Keep radio silence!" Nakamori ordered. "You!" He pointed at one of his officers. "Take somebody with you and tell the men at the door to not pay mind to what I say through the radio. I want KID thinking we fell for it. He probably tapped onto our connection as usual, so we might try to use it against him this time. I want everybody to stay on high alert, despite of what I'll be saying next!"

"Yes sir!" The officer saluted and ran out to pass the plan.

"But where is that sly bastard..?" Kogoro growled, his eyes flicking between the screens, sliding of the cuffed officers inside, trying to confirm if everyone had a pair.

"Maybe he's using false footage and is hiding actually in plain sight?" Suzuki suggested.

The detectives wondered. While this wasn't impossible, it would be highly risky considering how many men Nakamori had inside. They weren't able to cover the whole place at once of course, but they were constantly walking around. Saguru gasped figuring out the one possibility.

"What is it Hakuba-kun?" Nakamori asked and everybody turned their full attention to the Brit.

"Ah well-" he cut himself off. What if his deduction would lead to Kuroba getting captured? If he was right, the magician was a sitting duck now. But Kaito did say before that he did not wish for them to go easy on him, did he not?

"Well, spit it out boy!" Jirokichi urged him.

Coming to a conclusion Saguru gave a nod. "I had a feeling that this time around it was him again who was deliberately leading the chase, instead of being pushed. He had everything staged. Meaning he wanted, no he **needed** to end up in that particular spot. He had too little time to get out of the corridor without getting noticed, meaning he didn't. He's still there, just like Conan said. Around the spot where we saw him last."

Kogoro raised an eyebrow and turned back to the screen, seeing nothing that indicated that the kaitou was still there. "What do you mean? He has somehow blended with the officers?"

Heiji gasped, understanding what Saguru meant. "No! He isn't in plain sight. He has a hideout there!" His gaze flickered around the screen. "He could have hollowed the wall, or even better the floor. That is not reinforced, is it? And it would be overlooked easily by any search that wasn't directed at it. If he managed to make enough space for him to fit in, it would be easy to hide it with a floor tile! That way he could wait there as long as he wanted and leave without getting noticed, when the coast would be clear again." Why haven't he thought about it?

"That is plain nonsense!" Suzuki snorted. "Just when would he be able to make something like that?"

"It would require a lot of effort…" Conan agreed. "But it's not impossible. Who knows? He could have had it done while this place was still in construction, so now he only had to repair any damage that might have occurred to it..." He trailed off wondering about another possibility this lead to. One that would explain how Kuroba got into the building.

Nakamori frowned, already forming a tactic in his mind that would allow him to exploit that situation best and didn't pay much attention to the expression on the child's face. If the bratty detectives were right this was his chance to capture the thief once and for all. He pushed away a question what would he do without KID around. He picked up the radio to his mouth.

"Alright, inside teams, first confirm that everybody has a pair. Then I want you to scout the building carefully, in case this damned thief is lurking in a corner somewhere behind a white screen." In the end KID did use a technique like that numerous times and it wouldn't hurt to check, especially that he had to give some reasonable orders to his officers. "But I want a pair keeping watch over the remains of the… whatever it was, that black something. Report in when you're done." Turning off his radio he spoke to the monitor operators. "Cut the big monitors. I don't want any accomplices of KID to keep him informed. We will cut the cameras before we get inside as well. I want him blind and confused as much as possible."

The men did as ordered, but Jirokichi grimaced, not happy with the solution.

"I don't mind you cutting the view to the public for now, but I will not agree to shutting the cameras off entirely! Especially since we can cut transfer process and just have them set on recording."

Nakamori held back a growl and did his best to keep annoyance from his tone. He only half succeeded in that. "With all respect sir, we can't leave even the slightest possibility that KID will manage to avoid this somehow and keep a view over what the cameras record. And as long as they are connected to the network we can't rule out that possibility."

"Well, I didn't pay for this construction to have the best moment undocumented!" he retorted crossing his arms.

Ginzo growled grinding his teeth when Hakuba cut in. "Maybe we could get a compromise? It shouldn't be that much of a problem to get a hold of few cameras without any network connection and give them to the teams who will enter the building. That way everything would be documented, even if with lower quality. I mean it still would be better to have it poorly filmed, rather than losing the opportunity altogether, right?" He added, seeing the advisor already opening his mouth to deny the idea.

Suzuki frowned wondering about it. After a few moments he turned to one of his men. "How long would it take you to put the building cameras back on?" He could deal with a loss of few first seconds in high quality after all.

"Well, if we shut them off completely it will take roughly 30 seconds for us to get them back up." An operator supplied them with an answer after a moment of consideration.

Jirokichi grimaced not really happy with what he heard, but knowing that it was pointless to try and force a better result from the poor man. "Alright. I'll agree to this, but only if you can get two camera on each team you will dispatch there."

Relieved Ginzo didn't try arguing and gave a short nod, before running out of the barrack to give out orders, while avoiding radio contact. By the time the cuffed officers reported that they secured the building and failed to find any signs of KID, Nakamori had everything ready.

* * *

This time the detectives were allowed inside, alongside with the adults, since the inspector figured that they might come in handy in case the kaitou left something unexpected behind. He allowed the cuffed officers to take a little break outside, after having them checked once again. With them gone Nakamori, along with the detectives and two officers tried to find a possible hiding spot, with Jirokichi and Kogoro watching them work, but… they came out empty. Even trying to move each and every tilt didn't give any results.

"See? I told you, you were wrong! There was no way for KID to have dug around my building without getting noticed!" Jirokichi pointed out with satisfaction.

But this didn't feel right. What other explanation could there be? This just had to be the answer! Kuroba wasn't a real phantom, no matter how skilled, he was a human and the place was constructed as the perfect trap. Conan bit the inside of his cheek, slowly walking around, with his gaze focused on the floor to find something, anything that could give him an answer, while Saguru and Heiji were busy checking the ceiling. Accidently he caught a glimpse of his Detective Badge's LED light blink pattern distortion. He frowned and walked on, the distortion vanishing. He went back and found the one spot where the light did not act natural. He smirked when he raised his gaze and noticed that he was right next to the camera. The sly bastard… He grinned at the floor under his feet. Now there was only one question left – was the kaitou still there, or did he escape already. He knew that KID didn't tend to leave anything to chances. He turned his gaze towards the inspector who was bickering with Jirokichi.

"Nee, Nakamori-keibu?" he called out with his childish tone and started pointing at the tilt under his feet when he got the attention and took out the oddly blinking light. "Do you really think KID is still around?" he asked with as much innocence, as he could utter.

The gathered men silenced and stared at the child, shocked that the deduction turned out to be true. Conan leaned down and placed his blinking Detective Badge beside his feet, before walking away. As nobody seemed to be capable of answering Heiji decided to play along.

"Well you know him~ Always doing some stupid stunts, just for kicks~" he teased just in case Kuroba was actually listening.

"Electromagnetic field..?" Hakuba mumbled under his breath, too softly to have his voice carried away, when his shrunken friend was passing him. Shinichi gave a nod to that.

And this carried some impediment. Undoubly KID had some sort of a remote that shut the power of the magnet off, allowing him to easily open the passage, but making it hard to open without it. The question was, if the kaitou was using an external battery for it, or did he tap to the building's electricity. If he did the latter, he wouldn't have to worry about battery failure and could allow the trick to wait any amount of time for him to use it. And taking into account the light trick he did the previous night, it was highly possible that he did mess with the electricity at some point anyway. Meaning, if they cut the power off, they would most probably be able to open the possible hideout. Nakamori pulled one of his officers closer to whisper something to his ear, before sending him and his colleague off, while keeping an eye on the marked tilt. When they left the sight, he walked towards it and secured his fingers around the tilt, bracing himself for the lights to go off. Conan took his position nearby and turned on his light watch, directing the beam between Nakamori's hands. Everybody held their breath and once it suddenly got dark the inspector pulled, easily tearing the piece off the floor, reveling a wide, empty space beneath. Saguru breathed out a laugh, disbelieving at what he saw. A few seconds later the lights went back on, as instructed.

Relying on his small form, Shinichi jumped into the hole, discovering that it was actually a narrow tunnel, with a wire hanged on its upper side. There were tracks of dragging on the bottom, indicating that undoubtly the kaitou pulled himself all the way through. Most probably using some sheet of material, to prevent his white suit from getting dirty. Without waiting for permission Conan ran through the tunnel, deaf for the men ordering him to return. To his displeasure, he found that the exit was hidden in a particularly dense path of nettles, which stung him on his unprotected hands and face. Bemused he had a feeling that Kuroba most likely predicted that either him or Hattori would have fallen for this small trap. Bastard really earned this time to get hit with a soccer ball.

In the meantime, others investigated the fastening mechanism of the tunnel. KID apparently prepared four small electromagnets and placed them on the edges of the hole. The tilt had not only metal plates on its sides, but also had its entire bottom covered with a foil. Heiji guessed that it was most likely magnetic shielding material, which would explain why the magnetic field was so weak and was able to affect the sensitive LED light onl10y from a very short distance. They guessed that KID used a similar way for his portable hole trick and the place was most likely filled with short tunnels. Unfortunately, because of the shielding material finding the passages wouldn't be easy. Saguru figured a solution to that. Using an iron nail and a string he claimed that it would act as a water wand if allowed to swing freely.

When Conan returned and Nakamori's men finished with photographing the hole and tunnel they closed it again. As predicted the nail changed its swing pattern while near the field and with it would be laid near the tilt, the nail would slowly roll towards it. This was a painfully slow method, but Ginzo and Jirokichi had more than enough men power to search the place fast and within an hour they had all of the building scouted and ended with finding more passages, than KID used during his performance.

The power was cut off once again for a moment to allow all of the tilts to be lifted. Surprisingly only one of them could be completely detached from the ground. It was the one in the display room, which hid another exit tunnel. Saguru was bemused to find out later that this one lead to a place around the area, where he was left with the two officers tied up to a tree on the previous day. If only he was awake enough to search the area in detail after he woke…

The other tilts were attached to the floor on hinges hiding, as expected, short passages padded with material, which prevented the kaitou from getting dirty and made sliding through easier. In these the electromagnets not only held the tilts in place, but also its supports. With the power cut off the plates could be easily pressed inside, as well as pulled outside, making it theoretically possible to jump in and slide under the wall, as KID apparently did. A set of springs made the tilts click back into position when left alone.

This however required for the kaitou to somehow navigate in the monochromatic passages minutely. The tilts were too narrow to allow him even a slight margin of error. Despite the officers proudly claiming that THEIR thief was fully capable of such a feat, the detectives had their doubts. Kuroba might have had a very detailed memory, but even is his somehow exceeded theirs, it was still impossible. Not without any types of even the slightest markings and while keeping focus on his pursuers. Especially near the end of the chase, when he must have been already tired, no matter how fit he was. However since they couldn't find any types of hidden markings around the plates, or in their close proximity, they had to settle for a guess that he had some kind of a device that did the work for him. Most likely one that made sound, as he got near his escape.

Judging by the amount of passages and how well they were hidden, it would have been impossible for the kaitou to prepare them after the challenge was dispatched. At least not without aid of heavy (and noisy) equipment. Meaning he had to have them prepared long before Jirokichi acquired 'Karmazsin Tőr', most likely during construction of the building. There was no way to determine whether KID made them himself, or had someone do it for him, but regardless this was define proof that the kaitou kept a close eye on Jirokichi's actions. This conclusion had the old man grinning, glad to be acknowledged by the thief as worthy rival.

* * *

"I have only one questioning remaining..." Heiji sighed and spared a grin to a surprised officer, who was standing guard, after he managed to crawl out of the kaitou's tunnel.

The police had still some work to do inside and Kogoro stayed behind to give interviews to the press. Because of Conan, the detectives didn't want to take part in it, so they gave a slip to the adults, after informing Mouri that they would wait for him with the girls. Before anyone could stop them they were already in the tunnel.

Saguru snorted and replied, as they were walking away from the stunned man. "Only one?"

"Well only one that's nagging me right now." Heiji replied with a smirk before huffing. "I just can't figure out where Kuroba gets his ideas-"

Hakuba cut in with alert, angered at the Osakan. "Shh! Seriously! What is wrong with you and your slips?"

Hattori looked with surprise at the Brit. "Huh? What's your problem? It's only suspicious if you act like it is!"

"Well judging from the girls' reactions previously, you don't manage it well." Saguru growled back, casting a look around, in case anybody was close enough for them to be overheard.

Heiji glared at him, but Shinichi decided to cut in. "It's alright, Hakuba. Really." He tucked his hand in his pockets and shrugged seeing that he had their attention. "It does sometimes turn into some trouble, but... Well, you know, it's nice to be called by my real name every now and then and not only in concealed places." He didn't add that it made him feel at least a little more normal. Like he wasn't actually hiding. But he didn't have to say it.

Saguru's expression softened. "I see..." He wondered, if the shrunken teen wanted him to as well loosen it up sometimes, but decided to leave it for later. "Sorry about it then… And as for your question... Well, I'm not sure if I want to risk my sanity by attempting to understand Kuroba's way of thinking."

The other two snorted to that, before Shinichi replied with a hum. "You know, I think I actually was familiar with what happened today? I think I saw it a couple of times in an American cartoon when I was a kid. I think it was a running gag of sorts..." He tried to recall the tiny detail from his past.

Hakuba clucked his tongue. "Ah! I believe you're right! I think it was from Warner Bros cartoons? They were quite popular in England when I was little. Didn't pay much attention to cartoons back then, but I did see a few episodes."

Conan snorted. "Well anyway, I guess he's the only guy to watch a reality bending cartoon and consider repeating it~"

Heiji chuckled. "And succeeding at it~ It really did look like he jumped through the walls with the help of that round sticker~"

"Yeah, especially with that projector that showed a footage of his hand reaching out of the wall~" Shinichi recalled, not even trying to conceal his excided smile. "I knew it was suspicious when he 'accidently' broke the lights. It was just too convenient! But it still blew my mind~"

"Maaan… I just can't get over it that I didn't get to see it in person!" Hattori moaned, annoyed again that he was denied the access to the building for the heist.

Saguru gave him a compassionate look. "Well, we will get our chance tomorrow, so don't worry about it too much. I'm sure he has something interesting in store." Then again, he wasn't sure if he was personally happy about that possibility.

The Osakan smirked, apparently content enough. "Meh, true enough. Still too bad that the badge Kuroba showed you yesterday was a dud. I doubt he will make it easy for us to catch up with him tomorrow~"

Conan chuckled. "Would it be fun any other way~?" He sighed and checked his glasses for a stray signal again, still hoping that Kaito actually had a real badge and would use it to lure them to his location. "Well, no matter. There's three of us and he's bound to be tired after preparing those two unexpected heists. You did manage to secure our passages for tomorrow, right Hakuba?" he added casting the blonde a glance.

"Yes I did, it was no problem at all. But I wonder about the unexpected part, considering how well prepared he was. And I am more than certain that he expected this to turn out into a two-day event before he laid his eyes on the treasure."

Heiji rolled his eyes. "From what you told me about the old guy, I think he would be surprised, if one of the pieces didn't turn out to be a dud." He shook his head. "But to spend a fortune on constructing such monstrosity… Jeez… It's a good thing Kuroba kept a closer eye on his actions. This guy really is obsessed with KID, isn't he?"

Hakuba failed to conceal a snort. "Well, you would know a thing or two about obsessions, wouldn't you?" he teased, referring to what he overheard in the morning.

Hattori held his breath for a moment, surprised by the taunt, before bursting out. "Yarouba, you AHOU!"

In good moods they soon joined the girls, who were excited about what they saw during the heist. Even Aoko had hard time not admitting that KID trick of that night was stunning. With pleads and threats they made the detectives explain them how the kaitou managed to pull it all off.

* * *

To say Kaito was tired was an understatement. He would surely love to go back in time and kick himself, for even whining about being tired after a heist. What he was experiencing now was nowhere near those times… Sure, he was able to go on with little sleep and grew used to it during his time working as a kaitou, but he still needed a full night sleep every now and then. And as for now, the last time he had an opportunity to do just that, was before he left on his undercover mission.

To make matters worse because of that blasted old man he didn't get any sleep at all since he announced the challenge. Sure, he was grateful to the guy for presenting him with something so hard to get, but couldn't help himself from being annoyed by how Jirokichi had played him to show off before his rival. And he was angry for not being able to say what he thought of it, so he figured that just this time Kaitou KID wouldn't hurry with returning the treasure. Just to let the guy sweat in worry for a little while.

Ironically, Jirokichi's challenge gave the magician another reason for not canceling the 'Dresden Green' heist. Since if he didn't go, it would be playing right into Suzuki's hand. And that was the last thing Kaito wanted. So instead of taking it easy for tonight Kaito had to fit himself into a tight dress and slapped on a female mask. And that's why he was now pretending he was listening to his 'husband' boasting off in front of other guests.

The magician had another problem aside for tiredness… He was hungry as well. He had very little time, busy with not only preparing for the latest heists, but also closing his other mission, without raising any suspicions, which left him with hardly any to spare for a meal. He was nearly certain he ate something during the last two days. He had trouble recalling what it was, but there was something. Hopefully… Unfortunately this wasn't the case for the whole Friday. He barely managed to grab a small bite in the morning. He didn't pay much attention to it, since he was sure he would be able to eat something more nutritious at the party. But although there were multiple deliciously looking fancy snacks on the other side of the ballroom, he wasn't allowed to have any. The bastard, he was paired with for tonight, had the nerve to make snarky comments about his 'wife's' chubby sides each time Kaito attempted to put something into his mouth and since the guy was not letting his eyes of his partner, there was very little the magician could try and munch on. The kaitou would have gladly got rid of this nuisance, happily stashing his unconscious body in the toilet, or better yet – in the tight vent of the mansion, but he couldn't! There were three hawk-eyed reasons for it, casting him suspicious glances every now and then, which forced Kaito to keep his act up and cling to the lustful man. And this was plain torture!

Sure he would love to just drop the act and go to his detectives. This would ruin the fun, but maybe, just maybe they would allow him to satisfy his hunger and even let him to get some rest, before the heist started. But then they would ask him questions then, which he didn't want to answer just yet. First he had to sort out all he has found out and maybe follow a lead or two, before facing them. Also… it would be already asking for much, if they didn't turn him in, after discovering who he was disguised as. He couldn't really hope that they would just cover for him and allow to go on with his heist. And there was no way he could back out. 'The Dresden Green' rarely left it's country and he definitely didn't feel like traveling to Germany to check it some other time. He didn't even know German! This was just too big of an opportunity to let it pass. So, if he had to suffer a bit for it, so be it.

It was such a shame that those filthy rich people, who enjoyed treating him as a trendy pastime didn't offer him a pursue-free event, where he would be treated as a guest of honor and simply show off his magic, in exchange for borrowing the gems. Well, to be honest he wouldn't accept such an offer, even if somebody tried it. Kaitou KID wasn't your everyday magician for hire. Normally Kaito would even feel offended, if he ever heard about something like that. But now... well it did sound like an appealing idea...

The magician suppressed a sigh and wondered, if it would be fine for him to get back at the 'husband' after he finally ditched the disguise, when the guy in question took advantage of his distraction and grappled his ass. Kaito reinforced his Poker Face to prevent himself from so much as stiffening in response (or preferably lashing out at the man) and internally cursing the woman he was disguised as, he cast him a, what he hoped looked like, flirtatious smile. Just why on Earth did some women like to be treated like that?! And more importantly, why did Kaito end up as disguising himself as one? Oh right… It was because he didn't have enough time to find someone else he could come as, leaving them safe at home, without rising any suspicions. He just didn't have time to make a full research for this and this couple apparently had some marriage problems, which they refused to show in public. Making them not only easy, but also a perfect target for the kaitou. He only regretted that he couldn't chose to go as the guy instead, but he was unfortunately too high for Kaito to disguise as efficiently. So about the revenge… The thief glanced at the man. Kaitou KID was a gentleman, right? So it would be more than appropriate for him to defend a woman's honor. With that in mind the magician felt a little better and could go on to plan how exactly he would execute his revenge~

He desperately tried not to think about his poor shape. Not only was he tired, but apparently from his hunger he also felt nauseous. He already had a few close calls, where he feared he would puke on his 'beloved husband'. Would serve him right actually… But that would also pull too much attention to his person. And with those three freaky radars, he couldn't even go to the toilet in peace! Jeez! Fortunately his partner for the night was apparently overprotective and followed his 'wife' everywhere, efficiently blocking Hakuba from cornering the kaitou, as he left the restroom. At least one positive side about the guy… Although it was surprising. Weren't they quarreling? Meh, most probably he simply wanted to prevent his wife from talking with anybody and air her woes to them. He dismissed the unrest it caused as soon as it came.

As time went on the guy turned more and more persistent, about keeping his eyes on his 'wife'. And to make matters more annoying he also started making jokes, about how Kaito was shy with drinking his drinks, undoubtly unwilling to show off her more 'liberated' side. Fortunately the kaitou was skilled enough to fake most of what he's 'drunk', but he did have to swallow some of it and it didn't do well on his empty stomach.

Thankfully there was only half an hour left, until he would ditch his disguise. At that point he wasn't even thinking anymore about his revenge. He just wanted it all to end, so he could go to his hideout and sleep. Then eat… No matter how bad his stomach was hurting him, rest had to come first. And as if the nausea wasn't enough, he was starting to get dizzy. He shook his head and felt the whole world spin. And wasn't it hot in there..? He could swear that the air just felt too thin for him to breathe. His mask was the only thing that prevented from others to see that he was covered in cold sweat. He had to get some air. Kaito moved his stare to the balcony door and tried to go that way, when he felt a tug on his arm. He spared a glance at the man holding him. He reinforced his Poker Face once again and asked for permission to get out for a moment. Only then was when he truly focused on his 'husband'. His eyes grew wide, when it finally hit him that he was wrong all the time. His predatory edge to the man's smile wasn't because of his lustful nature and the nasty feeling Kaito was getting wasn't due to disgust that he felt towards his wife. It was far more ominous… It was pure hate.

The magician pulled his arm desperately again, trying to get free, but the man just murmured something he didn't quite catch. Most likely ridiculing his wife's actions again. This was bad… It wasn't yet time for KID to appear, but it didn't seem Kaito had any more time to waste, with the guy trying to drag him off somewhere. When the guy decided to drag him somewhere, the thief slipped out a synergy, he had hidden on his dresses' strap just in case he needed an energy boost and injected himself with it. Before the guy could process that something was going on, his vision and everybody's around got cut off with pink smoke.


	32. The escapist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The heist goes very wrong, so KID is forced to do what he is best at – escape. Can the detectives reach him before he vanishes again? The race against the time starts again!

There was still some time left until the Friday heist would start, when Shinichi had to turn away tohold back a snort, while watching his two friends. Heiji was currently making another attempt to bring Saguru over to taking on a bet with him, about which of the guests was Kuroba disguised as. They ruled out any other possibility for his entry rather fast, because although KID would be able to avoid impersonating anybody for this heist, it was the easiest way and the kaitou was most likely tired after the marathon with Suzuki challenges. More so, it should be especially alluring since the police was forbidden from disturbing the guests. They were allowed inside only under condition that they would blend into the crowd. This also unfortunately restricted the detectives as well, narrowing their actions to mere cursorily observations.

In the end, after gathering all information they could, they chose from the crowd four most probable suspects. Well, actually they narrowed it to three, as Heiji was reluctant to believe that Kaito would let anyone grapple him, as Kakita Tohimoko did to his wife – Kakita Rin, who was one of the suspects. On the other hand, Saguru was having a hard time witnessing the obvious harassment, especially when he overheard bits and pieces of what the man was saying to keep her in check. At one point the Brit did attempt to approach the woman, to make sure that she didn't need any assistance. Unfortunately, Tohimoko didn't allow them to talk freely, but after seeing their interactions up close, Hakuba decided to back off. It was clear that although it was a toxic relationship, both were agreeing to it and he had no right to butt in. Although it did leave a distaste for Saguru, so Heiji focused more on distracting him, rather than looking for Kaito.

Shinichi smiled softly, realizing how friendly the two became towards each other. It was a nice thing to witness, especially considering how impossible a result like that seemed after their first meeting. His smile faded, as his gaze moved to the Kakita couple. Conan still had this irrational gut feeling that they shouldn't rule the woman out yet. Especially given how she seemed to tense each time the detective's gaze lingered on her. There was also something about how she acted and moved, although Shinichi wasn't able to explain why he found it suspicious.

* * *

Time for the heist was slowly drawing near and the detectives would soon abandon their posts, to take more strategic positions, when Shinichi noticed the Kakitas struggling. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that his friends also noticed it, but before either of them could react there was a sudden burst of smoke. Somewhat confused, the boy took a step back, wary of the pink color, that usually indicated the sleep gas and glanced at his watch. There was still about 20 minutes left! He didn't even get the time to let the thought sink in, when KID dressed now in his full regalia and with a gas mask on his face, jumped out of the cloud and threw more pellets in various directions, causing mixed white and pink eruptions. Hakuba cursed under his breath and turned on his heel to get the windows open, shouting to the stunned officers to do the same. The other two detectives boldly ran forward, covering their noses with sleeves. Nobody expected the kaitou to use large amounts of sleep gas, as he preferred to let his fans admire his magic, so no oxygen masks were brought to the scene.

'The Dresden Green' was still suspended in its locker under the ceiling, as it was meant to be lowered only ten minutes before the heist would start. This way there was no option for the detectives to try and prevent KID from taking it, so they didn't even think about attempting it. It would be very hard for the kaitou to get it in the first place, but they didn't even bother to wonder how he would achieve it. Instead in flash second each of them separately focused on predicting his escape path and dashed towards it, attempting to beat him to it.

Unless KID managed to tinker with the building, as he did with Suzuki's museum, there were only three ways he could leave the room. Either by the windows, the door or use the commotion to blend back with the crowd. If this was any other opportunity it would be hard to decide, but with situation as it was now only one seemed probable. Shifting back into a disguise, no matter how tempting was discarded nearly immediately by both detectives. Although tempting, it would require time to pull, as KID would have to feign being fainted and then slowly get out with the guests. And something obviously forced the kaitou to hurry. He wasn't likely to use the windows either, since most of the police officers were there, since he cut them off with his sleeping gas and only a few decided to try their luck against it. The smokescreen wouldn't help him to pass them, since the light breeze was dissipating it too fast and Nakamori's men were ready for flash bombs this time. This left only the door and two corridors behind it. Even before the heist started all three detectives agreed that taken that choice KID was more likely to use the one going to the left – which lead further inside the mansion. This one granted the kaitou with more possibilities to lose his chase and due to the owner's wishes, was only barely guarded. It also lead to the roof and upper floor, making it possible for the thief to use his glider.

Unfortunately, before dashing into the smoke, Shinichi didn't take into account how small he was. Usually his tiny frame allowed him to pass crowds faster, as he could simply duck under peoples' legs to reach his destination and he was used now in taking advantage of it. But he couldn't do that when he could barely see. Also he didn't have the weight to deal with running into other people. And it was just his luck, that some big guy collided with him, while he was running in opposite direction to the boy. Conan fell on his back and was forced to take a full gasp of the sleeping gas. He tried to stay awake, but the last thing he recalled before darkness took him, was a sensation of being lifted and carried away.

* * *

Suddenly Shinichi woke up, jerking away from the stench, coming from a cloth pressed to his mouth. Frantically he swapped it away and looked around. Saguru was kneeling at his side, prompting his back with one hand and pulling away the other, with the smelly thing. The boy blinked comprehending what happened.

"Smelting salts?" he asked, still slightly confused from his slumber.

Hakuba gave a nod and helped him to his feet. "Yes, I've build a custom carrying a bottle with it around. I'm honestly surprised that there are still Kaitou KID Task Force members who don't."

Shinichi took in the information with little attention, more busy with looking around the ballroom. The smoke was nearly gone now. In the background he could hear damped voices, coming from the radios, of the few officers left at the scene to secure the empty locker, discarded on the floor. Some guests were still unconscious, mostly laying prompted on the walls, where they must have succumbed to the gas. From the ceiling a huge and colorful sign 'Happy Birthday' was hanged and the sprinkles were still trickling water, but upwards instead of downwards. The floor was littered with equally colorful and sparkly pieces of paper, some were still swirling in the air, lifted by the gentle gusts of wind. Cumulatively the place was a rather sad view, showing definite signs that KID had something completely else in mind. The boy swallowed tickly.

"How long was I out?"

"Only about three minutes. Soon before I retrieved you the smoke activated the sprinkles and they shot some liquid with low pressure upwards, somehow causing the ceiling to burst with small flames. I expect he had stuck flash paper there, which held the confetti and the sign. I heard some yelling in the corridor, after KID seemed to have left. It seems that Hattori managed to join the chase. I haven't tried contacting him yet."

Hearing that Shinichi turned on the tracker in his glasses. He had given the other two detectives badges, similar to ones the Detective Boy's had, to make the contact easier, in case they got separated. This also would allow him to track them, in case KID would try to get rid of, or impersonate them again. Hattori's red dot was currently moving, so he didn't try calling out to him either.

Hakuba cleared his throat and continued. "I didn't follow him, since I wanted to check something here. And I was wondering, if you would be willing to give me a hand." He turned his gaze to the other side of the ballroom.

Conan followed his stare and noticed the unconscious man who was harassing his 'wife' before the whole mess started. The boy's face turned serious, as he recalled what happened. Most likely Tohimoko did something to scare the fearless kaitou so much, that he was forced to abandon his carefully prepared show. The problem was, that it didn't have to be the case. He could have been played, so that he would look as a suspect, allowing KID to work in shadows, as their attention was turned somewhere else. He wasn't sure Kuroba would want to use an innocent as a scapegoat, but if he needed to send his pursuers on a goose chase… They had to be sure before taking any actions. Which meant it would be best, if they managed to gather evidence fast, without raising nobodies suspicions, so they could prevent the police from making an unnecessary arrest, or overlooking some crucial hints. Fortunately they could leave it to Hattori to chase down the kaitou in the meantime. Shinichi gave a nod to Saguru, already having a plan.

* * *

Only after Heiji managed to get through to the corridor and got away enough from the door to be more or less safe to take a breath, did he notice that Conan wasn't with him. He took out his badge and called out to it, but there was no response. He wanted to turn back to make sure his shrunken friend was safe, when he noticed the characteristic white blur recede towards the other direction of the corridor they predicted the kaitou would run to. With a few officers on his heels, he ran after it, still clenching on the tiny metal in his hand, only to stop violently and collide with another pursuer, who failed to stop, when he heard a yell behind them. All he managed to see was a glimpse of KID jumping over a shocked guard and disappearing behind a corner. Heiji cursed and scrambled off the floor, angry that he got tricked with a dummy, while the kaitou from the beginning intended to take the path they predicted he would!

He was slowly gaining on the few guards, who stayed behind and were now (hopefully) chasing KID. Unfortunately, Hattori had yet to see as much as a glimpse of the white cape, so he couldn't be sure that they weren't send on a goose chase as well. With his blood boiling with rage, he managed to sped up and soon was rewarded with a flicker of white, disappearing into the staircase. Suddenly, when he jumped on the stairs there was a burst of white smoke that covered the whole well. Following his instinct rather than reason, Heiji immediately turned and jumped over the railing. He rushed downwards only to collide with KID, who nearly fell on his head. The thief's body twisted violently, making it impossible for the detective to get a firm grip. The kaitou managed to break apart from him in a matter of moment and rushed away with Heiji hot on his heels.

The detective felt a pang of worry, as he was close enough to hear the other wheezing heavily. It was definitely odd. The kaitou was usually silent as a ghost during a chase (unless of course he wasn't laughing like a maniac). Heiji knew for granted that KID was in perfect form and the chase now was simply too short for him to be this exhausted.

The duo rushed into a closed off room, where KID stumbled on a dead end and turned immediately to face off the detective, with his card-gun already raised. He was visibly forcing himself to stand straight and still and breath normally. Heiji stopped in his tracks a few steps away from him and raised his arms, to show that he had no ill intentions despite the chase.

"Hey..." He started softly, but cut himself off as KID raised a finger over his mouth requesting silence.

Heiji didn't miss the slight tremble on the thief's hand.

Seeing that his silent request was fulfilled, the kaitou reached to his vest carefully, his eyes never leaving the detective. Heiji tensed and held his breath, readying himself for whatever KID would try to unleash at him, but all he heard was a soft click and while smirking slightly, the thief took out a police radio. Downed voiced spoke out of the device, barely loud enough for the detective to hear them.

Hattori wasn't all that interested in what the police was saying anyway, he was more busy observing the worrisome symptoms on the other teen. Apart from what he saw before, he noticed that the kaitou's facial features seemed more feminine and as far as he knew, although KID did sometimes use masks in addition to the monocle, he always dumped the female ones. What's more, his suit was more ruffled than the tiny squabble and the chase usually resulted in. He couldn't help but wonder, what made the kaitou draw his toy-gun either. Sure, getting cut with the card would hurt, but that's all and they both knew Heiji was aware of this. This was no real threat, but it probably felt reassuring to hold even such a flimsy weapon… It was more worrisome, the thief only acted aggressive when there was something really bad going on and he felt that, he was simply left with no other choice. It was obvious that now KID was thrown off balance. But what could have caused it? Kakita Tohimoko? Who was he and what did he do to scare the thief this much? Hattori kept quiet, knowing full well that before he could safely ask any questions, KID had to get rid of his other pursuers and he wasn't going to hinder him.

The kaitou quietly cleared his throat and while holding his steel glare on the detective before him, he spoke up, with a lot deeper voice, breathing heavily, sounding as if he was still running.

"Sir! We caught a glimpse of KID running to the roof! Requesting back up!" He clicked the radio and swallowed, before turning it back on and shouting with a different voice.

"We're on the roof- Shit! KID just deployed his glider. No! There are two of them! One going west other south! I don't know which one is him!"

_"The south one must be the dummy - with today's wind the glider can't go that way! Yuuri, Jagura, Yuzu, follow it just in case! Everybody else after the other-!"_ Nakamori roared, but before Heiji could hear anything more, the magician turned the radio off.

KID showed a tiny smile and crooked his head slightly, dropping his gun, as if he was questioning Hattori, about what he would do now. The Osakan lowered his arms, seeing that the kaitou's posture seemed to relax and give him a smirk in return. But before he could say anything KID tensed again as his gaze shifted onto something behind the detective. It was the oldest trick in the book and Heiji shouldn't have fallen for it. But out of reflex he did, only to notice empty corridor behind him. Heiji turned back right away, expecting for the thief to be no longer then, but instead he was startled by the loud clatter of the falling vent crate and caught a glimpse of white shoes disappearing in the hole. He immediately jumped to the entrance and saw the kaitou quickly crawling away through the narrow passage, already out of his reach. He cursed silently and hit the wall, but refrained himself from giving chase. He wasn't bulkier than Kuroba, but he had no idea how to move so fast with so little space. And hopefully he had another way to get him anyway. Without a second thought, he rushed out of the room and dialed Kudo's number, praying that his shrunken friend would pick up. He did.

"Kudo, is my badge moving?" he asked with a whisper, skipping any explanation or a greeting. He was glad when the call went through, proving that his shrunken friend was fine and awake.

_"Hattori? Yeah, what-?"_

He grinned. "I'll explain later, meet you at the back entrance. Hurry." He urged and disconnected the call.

Only when he was on his way there, it occurred to him that his friend might think it could have been KID calling, trying to lure him into a trap. He clucked with annoyance and hoped that Kudo would come anyway, even if only eager to get a chance to talk with Kuroba.

* * *

Heiji didn't have to wait long at the back entrance when he noticed his shrunken friend rushing towards him.

"Where's Hakuba?"

"He stayed behind. We found out something about Kakita-san, but don't want to make any rash moves against him. Yet." Shinichi answered warningly, coming to a stop a few steps away from the other detective. There were red dots faintly flashing on one of his lenses, indicating that the radar was turned on. "Why did you call me out here?"

Hattori grimaced, not happy that he was right about his friend's conclusion. He leaned closer to not get overheard and whispered. "Kudo it's really me. I've put my badge on KID. We need to hurry in case he'll ditch it. It had to be him, but there definitely was something wrong with him again. And this time I want to reach him, before the events from May will repeat. There's no time to waste, come on, lead the way." He urged him, noticing that the boy was hesitating.

Conan weight his options. He doubted Vermouth would have mixed her up in this (unless something went very wrong and then they were screwed anyway) and since Hattori had a very characteristic accent, not many people originating outside from Osaka could copy it. So in worse case he would end up being kidnapped by Kuroba. Which would be annoying, but not dangerous and could prove to be fruitful. Hakuba was more than enough to take care of the investigation now, so Shinichi's absence wouldn't hinder it. And judging by the red dots' movement, there wasn't much time to make a decision anyway, so he gave a nod.

"Alright, let's go." He said briefly and started running through the garden.

Heiji followed him, easily keeping up. "Just wondering… What did you get from the guy?"

The boy shook his head, watching the teen by his side from the corner of his eye. "I didn't get to talk to him, or listen to his excuses, as he was only waking up when you called. But I did get to search him, when Saguru-niisan was checking on him and other unconscious guests. Found a few previously folded paper squares and one with some powder in it."

Hattori cursed. "That doesn't bode well… Hope you had your gloves on?"

Conan replied with an unimpressed glare. "What do you take me for?"

The Osakan smirked in response. "So what is it that you found? Poison?"

"No idea. It could be something KID planted to keep us distracted. If it's not…" He hesitated for a brief moment. "I hope it's just some kind of sedative. We'll know when, either Hakuba will get a confession from the guy, or we'll ask Haibara to identify the sample. So what did you notice- Oh shit, the signal stopped! Hurry!"

They sped up and didn't waste any more breaths on talking, hoping that it didn't mean that Kaito found the badge and got rid of it. Fortunately this wasn't the case apparently, since soon after they crossed the fence and ran not far away from it into the adjacent park, they noticed a figure, warped in back cloth, wheezing heavily. He was bend forward, holding a tree for support. As they quietly tried to get closer, he pressed his fist to his stomach and bend lower in an obvious attempt to vomit.

"Oh hell..." a whisper, voicing the thoughts of both detectives, escaped Heiji's lips.

KID immediately turned his head towards them and before either could react a white cloud of smoke restricted their vision.

Shinichi cursed, as he started running, focusing his gaze on the signal to guide him, while calling out. "KID! Wait! It's fine, it's just-" he cut himself off, hearing violent coughs from before him.

Both detectives stopped, looking with shock at the choking figure before them, while the smokescreen dissipated fast in the wind. Maybe it wasn't Kuroba after all? Maybe a copycat, or an accomplice? But Hattori was positive he was chasing the real thing. The boy turned a suspicious glance at the tanned teen, but discarded his suspicion. If he was KID, he would have reacted somehow after they finally caught up. And Heiji was currently looking as stunned as he felt. So did it mean that KID was in such a bad state, that he inhaled his own smokescreen? The frantic musings were stopped by the kaitou's voice.

"Tantei-" He coughed again. "Sorry, but I'm not in the mood for a chat now. Meet you some other time."

But Shinichi didn't listen to his words really. He was more interested in the body language, of the person before him. The detective couldn't clearly see his eyes, but judging from the slight head movement rather than looking directly at the boys, he was looking around, probably searching for an ambush. And while it might have been reasonable for anybody else, it wasn't for KID. He always did his best to hide behind his Poker Face and this was definitely showing too much. Kudo didn't miss either that the kaitou's hand was touching a tree behind him. The grip wasn't strong enough to support him, so it most probably meant that he was so dizzy, that he needed an external stabilizer. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Heiji silently step to the side, with a deep frown. He brought a finger to his lips when their eyes met and made a hand motion signalizing chatter. Conan gave a slight nod and spoke up airily, hoping to stall and distract the thief, while watching carefully both of the teens.

"Maa, you know the drill, give back the jeweled setting and I might consider your request."

His frown deepened as he noticed a twitch of KID's hand, when he visibly stopped himself from showing where on himself he had the gem hidden. This was just too sloppy, but he couldn't believe that Kuroba would willingly stood up his accomplice or anybody else like this. What was more disturbing… The kaitou didn't seem alarmed that the other detective was slowly circling him around. Shinichi repressed a heavy huff, after he realized with worry what it meant.

KID took a small step back, as if he was considering making a run for it. "I can't do that yet Tantei-kun. I'll have to ask for your patience this time."

"Why not?" he retorted immediately, not allowing the other much time to think. "Is it what you've been looking for?" Without moving his head, he glanced at Heiji, wondering what did the Osakan intend to do.

"I don't know. I haven't checked yet, so if you'll excuse me-" He was already backing away, when Shinichi intentionally stepped forward on a branch, making it snap and forcing the kaitou to freeze.

"So check it now." He demanded.

"I can't alright?!" The kaitou snapped, with slight desperation in his voice. "There's no moonlight today to show me the red glow, so just leave me-!" He suddenly cut himself off and cursed. "I didn't just say that." he mumbled, while driving a hand over his face.

Shinichi let out a shocked chuckle. "Yeah, you did…"

This night was turning into a bigger surprise then he could ever imagined. But this wasn't the time to get distracted. The detective's face turned serious. Whatever KID was drugged with, it wasn't only wearing him off, it clearly affected his coordination, vision and was also messing with his mind heavily, making him too confused to think clearly. Conan just hoped the kaitou wouldn't start hallucinating. Whatever it was, they had to hurry, as the symptoms seemed to be worsening fast. He couldn't have been in such a bad state in the mansion. But it didn't seem as if Kaito wanted to cooperate. He was clearly on defense and was more probable to run, at the first opportunity they gave him. The boy automatically reached for his watch, but thought better of it. They had no idea how the two drugs would react with each other and Shinichi didn't feel like risking it.

"Whatever…" the thief growled with anger. "Just leave me alone, I have to hurry." He tried to walk away, but Shinichi followed him with loud steps, keeping his attention on himself.

Heiji was already waiting a few steps behind KID, but seemed to be either hesitating, or was just giving his friend the chance to convince the kaitou peacefully. At least this way he was in the position to prevent the thief from running away.

"KID… I'm not trying to catch you. Let us help you…" he spoke softly, like he would to a scared and wounded animal.

The kaitou cursed and hissed towards the detective. "Haven't I helped you enough already?" he cried out, with desperation in his tone, strong enough to surprise the detectives. "This is the only time I'll ask this of you. Let me go. Now."

Shinichi stopped in his tracks and bit his lip, thinking fast. This was true, he did have a debt towards the thief. And he did feel bad, realizing that he was currently cornering KID when he was at his weakest. No matter what their intentions were, the drug was apparently also multiplying his anxiety, pushing the teen into panic. This wasn't good. He decided on another approach.

"Alright, alright. Listen, the heist is over, you won, ok? We'll just escort you to your accomplice and let you go then." It didn't seem that there was much point in trying to reason with Kuroba, but hopefully they could talk with his helper and either convince him to allow them to help, or at the very least give him the drug sample, so they could be sure the thief would get proper treatment.

"No… just leave me be. Please…" he mumbled, slumping over a tree. It seemed that his state was worsening even faster than Shinichi expected, but when he made some noise trying to step closer the kaitou tensed, regaining his defense again.

"KID come on. It's obvious you've been drugged. I don't want you to faint somewhere. I promise I won't try to unmask neither you, nor your friend. I just want to make sure you're safe, ok?"

The thief shook his head, trying to push away the dizziness. "I don't have an accomplice, Tantei-kun. And don't worry, I'm just tired. Too many heists, I'll be fine after I rested. Leave me be."

Shinichi gave him a flat look. 'Who are you trying to fool?', he thought, but asked something else to keep the focus on himself, while Heiji slowly started moving in. "What do you mean by that? Come on, you don't think I'll buy that, do you? I already saw your accomplice twice with you." And he had a good guess who it could be, but he hardly had any intention confirming his speculations now.

KID let out a bitter chuckle and pushed away from the tree, tucking a hand under his cloth, apparently preparing a trick to help him escape. "Past tense, Tantei-kun. I used to have one, but I don't anymore. Now, if you'll excuse-" He cut himself off and turned suddenly, when Hattori accidently stepped on a dry leaf patch and jumped at his target.

A flash blinded them and Conan cursed. He blinked away the white dots, still hearing the two wrestling each other. Soon he was able to recognize the white suit flashing from beneath the black cloth, as the thief was losing the battle, but still held on his feet somehow. This wasn't a good situation, but there wasn't much they could have done to prevent it. They had to hurry and couldn't allow KID to start running. Chasing him around would not only take precious time, but would wear out the thief even more. Helpless, Shinichi tried to call out to calm the kaitou down, but it didn't seem either of the teens paid him any attention.

* * *

Hattori intended to grab KID from behind, immobilizing him easily, but this didn't work out clearly. Even though, overpowering the weakened teen should have been easy, Heiji had to hold back. He didn't want to trip Kaito, worried that he might hurt himself in the state he was. And despite how feeble, the kaitou was still doing his best preventing the Osakan from securing a firm hold over him.

"Damn it, Kuroba! Calm down already!" He hissed, as he finally managed to somehow grab the magician's hands. "Like it or not, we are going to help you, you ahou! We're not going to hurt you, or turn you in!"

The kaitou wheezed out loudly, trying to catch his breath. "I'm… I'm not-"

The Osakan cursed not in the mood to deal with this crap again. He pulled the other teen roughly, throwing him off balance and grabbed his hood. He pulled it off, revealing a famine face. Without pausing, he swat away the thief's hand away and grabbed the cheek, ripping the mask apart in a swift move. He pulled off enough to uncover Kaito's sickly pale face.

"Game over Kuroba." He pinched his cheek, leaving a red mark on the irritated skin, just to make a point. "You agreed to give it up, if I ever catch you and rip your masks off, so give it up already!" he growled, securing his hold on the magician's hands, while the other weakly tried to pull away.

"I… I'm…" he staggered, before crying out with complain. "That's cheating and you know it!" He nearly fell over as his legs gave in under him, but Heiji managed to support him.

* * *

Seeing that it was over, Shinichi sighed in relief and pulled out his phone to text Saguru, so the other detective would get the guy who drugged Kuroba arrested, in case he haven't already. There was no longer any doubt that he wasn't a friend of KID and Conan wasn't going to let a potential kidnapper/murderer run lose. Done that, he dialed Agasa. They were going to need a ride and fast. He also had to convince Haibara to lend them a hand. It would be preferable to take Kaito to a hospital, but once the word would come out that KID got drugged, it would be too much of a coincidence. Especially when the police would check the substance and it would be confirmed that it was the same that Kaito was drugged with. And the detectives couldn't risk Kuroba's secret leaking out. He would be as good as dead, if it did.

* * *

Heiji snorted with bitter amusement, while he pulled the other's arm over his shoulders, to keep him upwards. Only Kaito could make a situation like that even in the least funny. But this wasn't the time to laugh. Judging by how the other's head was lulling to the sides and how slack his body felt, the detective could easily guess that the magician was barely holding on to consciousness. This wasn't good. Up close, he noticed that Kuroba's pupils were so narrow, that he could barely see them, which explained why the magician was now nearly blind in the dark. What's more, he was covered in cold sweat and his breath was quick and shallow. Heiji also didn't miss the slight tremble, shaking the thief's body constantly. The detective adjusted the black cloth to secure him better, although the night was warm.

"Yeah? You can complain about it to me later. More importantly, are you cold?" he asked with worry in his tone.

Kaito weakly tried to pull his hand away, to free himself from the persistent detective. He sighed heavily as it failed and licked his lips, making Heiji pay attention to how chopped they were. "No, I'm fine. Just tired, give me a break already." he mumbled, clearly putting a lot of effort to speak clearly.

Hattori snorted. "Yeah? So how was this cheating now?"

The magician growled with annoyance. "… Buzz off…"

The detective wondered, how comprehend of what he was saying and doing Kuroba was. Probably not that much. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. You'll get your rest soon. But now, you're going with us, so we can make sure that you're fine- Would you quit that?" he snapped, as the magician groaned hearing his reply and tried to push the detective away.

"Leave me… I don't want to be in debt again, I can handle myself…" he cried out weakly, but instead of continuing his attempt to get free, he slumped down.

The Osakan pursed his lips recalling the evidence, he found with Hakuba around the robbery cases, that pointed at the kaitou's involvement with them. He adjusted his grip to make it harder for the magician to push him away and support him better. He cast Kudo a questioning glance. The shrunken detective was still on the phone, but he noticed it and gave a nod in return. Heiji pulled Kaito and started slowly making his way towards the parking lot, that was next to the park.

"You said it yourself that we owe you. So it's just evening the score, alright? Anyway, any idea what have you been drugged with?" he added hastily, hoping to distract the thief.

"I don' do drugs... only sleep gas an adren'line..." he mumbled, reluctantly moving his legs, so he wouldn't be dragged.

Heiji made a confirming sound and asked another question, wanting to keep the other talking. "Makes sense. What happened there anyway? All we saw was that you suddenly started struggling with the guy and then made a run for it. Did he inject you with something?"

"No… I misjud-ed 'im…" His speech was getting too sluggish and it was getting hard to understand him. "On'y wh'n I sa' someth' wron' wit' me… He want' to dr'g me off, so I ran… Stupid… Shou've go wit' 'im an gas 'im 'ere…"

"Yeah, that would have been less suspicious." Heiji replied out loud, internally glad that it turned out as it did, since in other case Kaito might have managed to escape from them and disappear in one of his hideouts. "So he just slipped the drug to your drink or something?" The magician gave a nod. "Damn, that's sloppy for you~"

"Bite me… I w's de'd tired…"

Hattori snorted, glad to get a stronger reaction from the half-awake teen. "How did you manage to pull the heist, if you were in such a bad state already?

Kaito swallowed, with difficulty before answering with a quieter voice and Heiji wondered how dehydrated he was. "Had inj-on adren'in wit' me… jus' in case…"

He noted the answer just in case it was needed, hoping he understood correctly. "What were you up to lately anyway, huh? You just disappeared all of a sudden and we didn't see nor hair nor hide of you for nearly a month!"

He didn't intend to interrogate Kuroba. In truth he wouldn't care much, if the magician started describing his most doubtful vacation in Las Vegas. He just wanted to keep the other talking. But he didn't respond. Heiji might have thought that Kaito was trying to cook up some lie, or got annoyed with the question and simply refused to answer, but his legs were also barely keeping up. Heiji stopped and turned the magician's face towards him. His eyes were closed and he looked very much unconscious.

Hattori cursed quietly. "Oi, Kuroba! I'm not gonna drag you all the way! Oi! You hear me?"

He snapped his fingers in front of Kaito's face and the magician jerked away weakly. He opened his eyes and tried to focus his gaze on the fingers before him. Then he snorted.

"You suck...~"

"Huh?" he voiced with surprise, but internally sighed with relief.

"You cn't jus' snap y'r fing's n' not do a tr'k." he replied and slumped again, letting his head drop.

Heiji patted him gently on the cheek to wake him back up. "Yeah, yeah, but guess what? At least I can snap my fingers and I doubt you could now."

Kaito tried swatting his hand away, but didn't even manage to raise his own high enough, so instead he chose to glare at the detective. Hattori snorted at that and pulled him again in the parking direction.

* * *

Shinichi finished his conversation, but kept quietly walking beside them. He was concerned over the information he got and wanted them to get to Haibara as fast as possible. He kept it to himself, as he didn't want to add worry to the two teens, especially that they seemed to be moving as fast as it was possible for KID anyway. He was only happy that Hattori managed to wake the magician up.

"So what were you doing?" the Osakan asked, hoping to get back to any topic, but Kaito only made a questioning sound, so he clarified. "I mean for the last month, after you disappeared. So cold of you, man! We threw you such a nice party and you didn't even say your goodbyes before leaving!" he moaned, hoping to improve the magician's mood.

Kuroba tried to chuckle, but instead he hissed and jerked, trying to curl himself, while holding his stomach, with his free hand. Heiji bended with him to allow him that, keeping him supported at the same time. Shinichi jumped to them and reached to the magician, pushing away his bangs from his forehead. He cursed.

"He's burning up."

Hattori looked in shock between the two. "What? Damn it, he was freezing just a second ago…"

"Can you carry him? Hakase should be at the parking lot soon. We need to get him to Haibara, as soon as possible."

The Osakan nodded and Kaito didn't even try protesting, as he got picked up. They heard only a quiet whine of pain escape his lips. Heiji would prefer to carry him on his back, but it didn't seem to be possible in this situation.

"What the hell did that bastard feed you with?" he growled with anger, as he did his best to hurry after Shinichi, focusing to not trip.

The boy kept silent, considering if he should answer, before finally replying. "Hakuba texted me that he got a confession from Kakita. He used a slow working poison, mixed with a strong sedative. After the party he was going on a business trip and wanted to leave his wife to die in her sleep, while he was away. He hoped to make it look like an overdose. The poison shouldn't have done much damage until after a few hours, but the adrenaline from the heist could have accelerated the effect…" he added with worry.

Heiji cursed and fastened his grip on the wheezing magician in his arms. "He said that he used adrenaline injection to manage the heist…" he grumbled through his clenched teeth and tried to run faster.

Shinichi cursed as well. No wonder the poison started working sooner than expected. Kaito's blood pressure and metabolism must have been insane when he led on the chase after him.

"Stay with us KID. Just stay…" he mumbled, busy listening to Kaito's frantic gasps in case it stopped, while trying desperately to force away a persistent thought.

But it didn't want to go away.

No matter how close Shinichi came to capturing the kaitou, he somehow always managed to get away. Even when it seemed impossible. And today he finally caught him. It seemed that the only way KID could slip from his grip now, was… through death…


	33. Clipped wings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kaitou does survive, but not on his own and has yet to accept it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a side note – I posses very little medical knowledge (mainly only first-aid), so most presented here are snippets of what I found on the internet and made up the rest to make it sound reasonable – I seriously hope that if any of you possess wider knowledge, you will be able to accept my explanations.

Kaito was slowly surfacing from the depths of his slumber, but his instincts were telling him to stay still and not open his eyes. It took him a considerably long time to grasp his surroundings and even longer to find his sluggishness bizarre. The first oddness that he became aware of was that the smell was different than the one he associated with any place he slept in usually. Thankfully it wasn't a stench he would expect from a prison cell, nor the strong odor of a hospital, though there was some specific fragrance of medicaments. Was he in some kind of a sickroom? The mattress underneath him wasn't familiar either, lacking the comfortable pits eroded by his body weight throughout countless nights. He could tell that it wasn't a futon and that this bed seemed rather new. He could hear also the faint sounds of people speaking and sometimes moving around, most likely muffled by a closed door. It seemed as if they were behaving specially quietly. Through his eyelids, he could tell that the place he was in was rather dark. Maybe it was night-time?

But the most worrisome was the unmistakable feeling of being watched. Somebody was with him in the same room and clearly did their best to act quietly. Whoever it was, they tried not to focus their gaze to the magician's motionless body, but it inevitably lured their attention and it happened rather often. But they weren't wary of the kaitou, like most of his pursuers were during a heist. No, they felt rather worried and a little restless, despite doing their best to keep calm. As time went by, the person would start pacing around silently, most likely to keep themselves distracted. Kaito could hear soft friction of cloth with cloth, which made him realize that the floor had to be covered with a rug and the person was most likely wearing only socks. Which would be strange for a guard, but there was no other explanation. It was clear that he got captured and was being held prisoner.

But this brought an avalanche of questions. The most urgent one being 'who was it'. Clearly not the police. The place felt wrong and he imagined that their sentry would be acting differently. Also there would be two of them at least, so unless the second managed to avoid his detection (which was… worryingly probable, given Kaito's current state), he could discard this possibility. His mind supplied him with the memory of what he was doing up until now. And how he was forced to rush his undercover mission's withdrawal. Did he make a mistake and they discovered it was him infiltrating their ranks? That was probably the worst case scenario. But why was he waking up so peacefully then? He focused his attention to himself. He felt slight spinning in his head, which most likely would get only worse once he opened his eyes, or tried to make a run for it. Unfortunately his sense of touch was dulled to the point that it was actually hard for him to say much about his body condition. If he added the apparent confusion, sluggishness and foggy memory to the equation, he figured only one answer. He was fed with some kind of drug to keep him asleep and for some reason they either stopped giving it to him, or his immunity developed enough to fight it off… Yeah, not very likely. Anyway, this without a doubt would make his escape hard, but hopefully not impossible. But something was nagging him: why were his captors being nice to him? To make him drop his guard? To coerce something from him? The possibility of haggling for his life like that again made him feel sick.

Suddenly his grim musings were cut short by the sound of a familiar voice.

"Kuroba? Are you awake?"

Kaito wanted to sigh in relief. Hakuba… It was just Hakuba. He wasn't in any danger- Wait. What? Rewind… Why was Tantei-san watching him sleep?! The question made a memory of getting cornered by Tantei-han and hearing Tantei-kun's voice surface. He definitely talked to them, although he couldn't make out any details. What's worse, he didn't remember anything else afterwards. So that was it? They caught him? He couldn't help but to feel disappointed. He also wasn't sure what to do next and how to act around them. Should he keep up the goofy magician's attitude? Or maybe he should slip in more of the elusive kaitou?

He failed to fully hold back a twitch, as suddenly he felt a touch on his right wrist. Saguru pulled back immediately and Kaito slowly opened his eyes, still unsure how to act, but determined to not show any of his perplexities on his expression.

"H-ey-" he started, but cut himself off, only now noticing how dry his throat felt.

Out of reflex, he wanted to reach to it, but couldn't. Casting a glance downwards, he noticed to his surprise that his hands were restrained by cloth bindings, with one on his right wrist and two on his left hand – one on his arm and one on his wrist. He felt cold sweat as he noticed a needle digging into his crook of his elbow and a dripping IV hanging above it. His heart sped up, despite him trying to force himself to calm down. He felt stabbing pain his chest, but he ignored it.

"It's alright, calm down. I'm sorry about this Kuroba, but-" Saguru started talking and reached to the magician's right wrist, but retreated again, as the teen somehow slipped his hand free and launched himself to undo the knot holding his arm.

The kaitou didn't really pay any attention to the blonde. It was his instinctive reaction to break free, so he automatically slipped his hand out of the restraints, not even noticing Hakuba's attempt to help and reached to his left arm. He just barely managed to hold himself back from getting rid of the unknown IV, forcing the thought that his detectives wouldn't hurt him and that they had to have a good reason to prick a needle in him.

The knot was in a problematic spot - underneath the mattress. Normally it shouldn't be a problem, even in the slightest. But this time, it was... It shouldn't have taken him more than a second, but his fingers were trembling too violently. He tried to lock them around the knot, but he couldn't tighten his grip and the cloth kept slipping out. He couldn't understand what caused it – the IV? No… his detectives wouldn't cripple him like this, would they? He had a flash of memory of the heist, how he's gotten weak… gotten drugged! He recalled that his body shuddered as he ran. Was that what broke his hands? Would it stay like this?! He refused to acknowledge it and kept on trying, pushing away the memory snippets of his conversations with Chizo-chan, before her voice was taken away from her. When he tried to help her accept it… But he wasn't going to lose his hands, not yet, not like this!

"What?!" he hissed at Saguru, who was apparently trying to get his attention.

He vaguely recalled that the Brit was saying something, but... He couldn't remember the words. Nothing! What was more worrying was that the detective was now crouching at his left and he failed to notice him moving there. He had to get a grip over himself.

"Sorry... I wasn't paying attention. What did you want Hakuba?" he asked apologetically with a whisper, to not strain his voice and doing his best to keep it calm.

The Brit sighed and offered softly. "I could help you with that, you know..."

Kaito held back a wince and nearly forcibly moved his hand away, curling his fingers to hide their tremor that seemed to be spreading under his skin. Stupid knot... "Yeah, thanks. I'd appreciate that." He shifted his legs, confirming that at least his ankles were free.

Saguru made an acknowledging hum and reached to the cloth.

The magician refused to close his eyes, because it would make him look even more defeated, but he couldn't look at the detective either. He allowed his gaze to look around the room, but he didn't register a lot of his surroundings anyway. He reflected that he didn't know the dim room with peach colored walls he was in. His gaze lingered for a short moment on the curtains that allowed only a few rays of warm sunlight to seep inside. So clearly not nighttime as he thought before, huh? Automatically he wondered what time it really was. He faintly registered that his classmate was talking in the meantime.

"As I was saying - my apologies for tying you up in the first place. Unfortunately you started trashing around, when the dormitive started to wear off and we didn't want you to hurt yourself..."

Kuroba didn't answer and only made a confirming noise, but stopped listening to the blonde, his focus drifting back on the more pressing matter. He definitely had to get a grip over himself. So what if he wouldn't be able to count on his steady hands anymore? It's not like he lost them completely. And besides... He's already done quite a few heists where he didn't need to pick any locks or pockets. The big tricks didn't require such hand precision anyway. He could cover for it. He only had to adjust his way of thinking. That's right. This wouldn't change anything. He could still search for Pandora and make a big show out of it. Just a different approach was required. He could nail it. In the end, making miracles was his specialty~

But he wouldn't be able to pull tiny pranks on Aoko anymore, nor do random tricks for passers... But that was alright, he could easily find explanation to it, so nobody would find it surprising. No big deal... But that also meant no more roses out of his sleeve. He refused to acknowledge the heavy lump in his throat, telling himself that the first trick he mastered, for which his father used to praise him so much, wasn't important anymore. That he was ready for sacrifices.

"... permanent..." was a word spoken by Saguru, which nearly threw Kaito from his composure and turned his attention back to reality.

Well, it was going to hurt a bit until he got used to it, no biggie. "Hum? You were saying?" he croaked out, trying to sound casual and noticed that the binding around his arm was already gone.

Hakuba gave him a tired look. "I would appreciate it if you paid more attention to me, Kuroba," he mumbled, while loosening the loop around the magician's wrist, allowing the kaitou to pull the hand closer to himself, which he did. "And I was saying that it's not permanent. I mean the trembling of your hands." Kaito's shock and relief must have slipped to his expression, since Saguru's softened. "At least not at this magnitude. Try relaxing your muscles. If there was something wrong with your nervous system, you would experience involuntary movement even while resting, or would have trouble coordinating what you're doing. And neither is the case here. You didn't have trouble with reaching the knot, you were just unable to hold adequate tension, since your muscles are too weak. It's mostly because you're famished. You've really neglected yourself lately, haven't you? The IV is supplying you with basic elements, besides the medicine, but it can't fully substitute to a meal. More so, unfortunately we had to keep the drip on a high ratio, which I believe only worsened what you're experiencing right now." He sighed as he sat on a chair next to the bed before continuing. "To make it short - your blood is too thin at the moment and doesn't carry enough nutrients, or oxygen. This makes your muscles too weak to work properly and causes temporarily trembling, when you try to use them, but otherwise they should be fine. So unless your nerves were damaged before, which is doubtful, it is completely reversible." He smiled softly, noticing the poorly camouflaged relief on his classmate's expression.

The relief that flew through him was too big to contain, but Kaito didn't really mind it slipping a bit. Hakuba's explanation caused Kuroba to have more questions than before, but he wanted to sort them out and recall as much as he could before he would decide on voicing any of them. In the meantime, he complied with the detective's request and focused more on him, while Saguru reached to the magician to help him sit up. The motion caused the spinning in his head to strengthen, but he did his best to suppress it. Meanwhile, Hakuba pulled out a few more pillows from somewhere underneath the bed and placed them behind the kaitou.

Up close, Kuroba noticed that the detective seemed surprisingly tired, but that didn't explain the carefulness in his movements and gestures. Nor the calm act, clearly aimed to hide his overwhelming worry and wariness. As if he was dealing with an injured critter. Damn it… He swallowed to ensure that his voice wouldn't break.

"Hakuba…" He paused to get the blonde's attention, as he gratefully sank into the pillows behind him. "I'm not afraid of you, you know." he said, looking him straight in the eyes, which widened significantly in response to his words.

"I'm- I didn't…" Saguru stuttered, before sighing, when he realized that hiding it was meaningless. "I'm sorry, Kuroba, I didn't mean to unnerve you. I was worried that, concerning the situation and what you were given, you could have panicked and I wanted to avoid that."

Kaito's lips twitched in annoyance. So whatever he was fed with messed with his anxiety level? That would explain why he had such a hard time containing it… "It's fine, just stop it already, ok? But thanks for your concern anyway…" he added awkwardly.

The detective smiled softly. "You're welcome. Well, anyway… I'd like to check your vitals now, if you don't mind." He took out a small, oblong item from his pocket. A flashlight.

The magician's reaction was immediate, as he backed out, shielding himself with the quilt and made a shocked expression, but didn't try holding back hints of amusement in his otherwise serious stage tone. "Tantei-san, while I do like you, I don't think I would really want to play doctor with you~ You should consider taking me out on a date first at least!" He fluttered his eyelashes.

Saguru flinched, completely thrown off, and groaned tiredly. "Kuroba..."

Kaito chuckled, dropping his act completely. "Sorry, but you were just asking for it~"

He wanted to add another snarky comment about a more personal approach during possible examination, but then realized that he was most likely unconscious for some time and what that meant. He brought his attention to what he was dressed in. He noticed that the shirt was unfamiliar and that from what he felt, he had no pants on, only underwear. He looked away from the detective. Talk about embarrassing. He definitely had no place to joke like this now. He rubbed his throat to ease the stinging he felt after talking.

The hints of annoyance dropped from the Brit's presence, as he reached for a glass, half-filled with water and placed a straw in it. "Well, I probably should have explained you the situation first anyway… So do you know where we are?" he asked with light tone, while passing the glass to the kaitou.

Kaito gave him a glance and accepted the water. He focused his gaze on the straw, before taking a sip to buy a little time, holding the glass in both of his hands to prevent dropping it. He did realize that Saguru asked the question, instead of just providing the information because he wanted to test how comprehensive the magician was. Well, he surely didn't feel like admitting to his current sluggishness.

"I obviously don't, but I do have a good idea about it," he lied cheekily with a smirk, not averting his gaze from the glass. In the end, he had all the dots, right? If only his mind could connect them...

"Oh, is that so? Care to elaborate?" Hakuba asked, relaxing on a chair next to the bed.

Kuroba didn't have the answer, but maybe he could force his mind to do some work and come up with one finally? And his detectives always made a show of their deductions. He could mimic them, humoring Saguru and buying some time to find the solution. He started speaking with a calm, balanced tone.

"Well, this is obviously not my place, nor yours. I can also exclude you taking me all the way to Osaka or the Mouris' place. I mean, even baka-Tantei isn't that blind to not find me suspicious." And he wasn't somebody who could be trusted, so unless this was a cruel trap and there was police waiting outside of the door, they had to be really careful about where they hid him. And they worked far too hard to gain Kaito's trust to just throw it away like that.

He took a sip to ease his throat and buy a moment. Huh? He frowned, noticing that it seemed there was something mixed in the water? He dismissed it as irrelevant and focused back on the topic.

He knew that he failed to mention one other possibility – the Kudo manor. But… the place had a problematic resident at the moment. Kaito had no idea how much Tantei-kun told his fellow detectives about the guy, or how much he himself knew for that matter. He was nearly positive that the shrunken sleuth wouldn't rent his family house to someone he didn't run a full check on, especially given how suspicious the guy was. Whatever it was that Shinichi knew, he had a feeling that the boy didn't trust the man, so it was thankfully doubtful that they would have taken him there. Because somehow Kuroba didn't feel like confronting him, unless he had no other choice.

So, now that he discarded the easiest solutions, what other clues did he have? Think! "But you wouldn't want to hold me in a random place either." Too many variables, unless you are able to secure a place there is always something that could go wrong. It would be suspicious if anybody saw them dragging in an unconscious figure. So either a place where nobody asked questions, or a house rather than an apartment. And since his detectives weren't as sneaky as he was, the latter was more probable. So a house of a friend it is.

"Furthermore, I got drugged to the point of passing out." He vaguely recalled how frantic his detectives felt. He still couldn't make out the words from the haze in his mind, but it was obvious that they were scared. For him. "So, you'd want somebody to take a look at me. And this is clearly not a hospital." He took another sip. This was tricky. He didn't know all of acquaintances to Hakuba family, maybe they had some people to trust? No... even if that was the case, it was doubtful that Saguru could use them for his own needs and keep it a secret. You can buy silence of a private doctor, sure - Kaito did it himself, but that would be too risky for the detectives to try. It had to be somebody else, who could be trusted with a secret and who they could turn to without a doubt. But since he ruled out Saguru and Heiji who had too few connections here, it left only Shinichi's contacts. And then it clicked.

"Meaning this has to be Agasa-san's house." He finished his deduction with a confident smirk, internally glad for finally being able to make the obvious connections.

The shrunken girl wasn't likely to sell the kaitou out and she was a drug specialist. As for the old man, Tantei-kun trusted him with his own secret, so he probably trusted him with Kaito's as well.

Saguru chuckled. "I can't say I expected to hear a full deduction~"

The magician shrugged and gave him an innocent smile. "Well, you did ask me to elaborate~" He wasn't really happy to have his secret blown to two other people, but it's not like they had any other choice. And from all the other possibilities, this actually was the one he had the least against.

"So I did~ But I must admit, it was a very nice deduction. And a correct one, of course. You should consider a change of profession."

The kaitou snorted, rolling his eyes. "That would be such a waste of my talents, you know~ Besides... who would be left there to challenge you guys~?" he replied with a grin. He wasn't sure if they wanted to allow him to continue his search, but he had no intention of stopping anyway.

The detective shook his head with amusement, surprisingly not trying to oppose to the magician's words. "True~ Well, anyway, do you remember what happened?"

Kuroba gave him an annoyed glare, before softening it, when he realized that the blonde wasn't mocking him. After all, it was a reasonable question towards someone who fainted. He shouldn't take it as a boast about capturing him. Something like that was more expected from Hattori anyway.

"In short? I got drugged and Tantei-han with Tantei-kun caught up with me," he replied bitterly.

In reality, it was most of what he knew. He was slowly recalling his plans for the heist and what happened before it, but from some point of the ball, things began to turn a bit foggy. He was quite positive that it was because of what that Kakita-bastard was drugging him with, but… That was it. He could only guess that he passed out on his detectives and Hattori dragged, or rather carried him here then. Not something he liked to imagine…

"Well, that does summarize it, I guess." Hakuba agreed with a conciliatory tone and rubbed his face. "The thing is…" he hesitated, before finally saying it. "That Kakita-san didn't try to just drug you. He gave you a poison that was meant to kill his wife, Kuroba. You would have died if Hattori and Kudo didn't manage to catch you." He paused to allow his words to sink in.

"Oh…" Well, that certainly explained a lot.

Saguru raised an eyebrow. "You sound disappointed rather than upset."

Kaito smirked and turned the now empty glass in his hands. "Well, I figured that you guys caught him, so justice will be most likely served to him. I'm obviously not happy with what he did, but look on the bright side~ Nobody died." He grinned cheerfully at the blonde.

"True…" the detective admitted grimly, recalling their conclusion, that most likely if KID didn't impersonate the woman, she would have died without anybody noticing that she was in peril. But despite that, he was still conflicted about it. He took the glass from his classmate and filled it again, before returning it.

"Anyway, how long was I out?" Kaito asked, collecting the glass with both hands.

"Well, I'm not sure about the precise time when you passed out, but it would be around 39 hours now. It's already Sunday, 24 minutes after 1 PM." He sighed and raised his gaze to meet his classmate's. "You lost consciousness on your way here. Unfortunately it took some time to synthesize the antidote, so at first you were given saline to slow the poison's effect down. By the time the cure was ready, your internal organs already sustained some damage. As you might expect, your liver took most of it. Haibara-san is positive that you haven't suffered any permanent damage, like I said before, but your blood samples still show signs of the poison lingering in your system. As long as you are getting the antidote, it is dormant, so there's not much to worry about, but you're not out of the woods yet. Not even close, to be honest. This is why you still need to be hooked up to the IV. The antidote is gradually decomposing the poison and flushing out the remains, but it will take time. Since you are no longer in immediate danger, we decided that it would be better to cut the dormitive. Moderate activity shouldn't hurt you anymore and frankly speaking your body would benefit if you started eating regularly. As it is, the presence of the dormitive would only disturb and slow the decomposition process. But by 'moderate activity' I mean resting, Kuroba. You are in no condition to be moving around. You are still on painkillers, so you could hurt yourself, if you tried straining yourself. It would be best if you didn't get up from the bed at all, until you no longer need the drip. Also, after that, you will need to take it easy for a while. Do you understand?" he asked seeing a bizarre expression on Kuroba's face.

What Saguru said was overwhelming to be honest, so Kaito's mind supplied him with a way to fix it – at least superficially and distract both of them from the grim mood. "I can't believe you managed to call the tiny scientist 'Haibara-san' with a straight face…" the magician mumbled in awe. "I mean, she is so tiny! It's like trying to call Tantei-kun 'Edogawa-san'." he snorted, amused by how it sounded.

"Kuroba!" Hakuba cried out, biting back a curse. He was nearly devastated with Kaito's oblivious act, although he probably should have expected something like that. "Is that really all you understood from my explanation?"

The kaitou chuckled and waved a hand. "Man, you're so grumpy..." He rolled his eyes at how the Brit glared at him. "Sheesh... I got it all, alright? I'm going to give my best impression of a bedridden pancake, all fun excluded. Happy?" The detective closed his eyes and made a confirming grumble, pressing his nose bridge to ease the headache. Kaito sighed and asked more seriously. "So how long do you think it will take?" Gods… this was going to be a mind-numbing torture! He wasn't made to sit still!

Saguru sighed as well, deciding that he wouldn't get anything better from the magician. "Hard to say precisely, but I'd say that at most, we should be able to put away the IV after a week. Something wrong?" he asked, hearing the kaitou hum thoughtfully.

"Uhm... no, not really. I'm just wondering how will I keep myself and thus you guys from going insane~" Kuroba answered with a wicked grin. It wasn't a lie, not really.

He didn't expect the period to be this long, but then again it could have been longer. He could have been also dead… So he couldn't complain that there was anything really 'wrong'. But there was just something bothering him about it... Did he forget about something? He could recall some little stuff. Like showing his face here and there, but thankfully he was busy lately so he didn't have any particular appointments planned, so it was doubtful that anybody would notice his absence. So what was it..?

"If you say so..." The detective apparently decided to leave the topic. "Anyway, if you'll need anything, just say so and we'll see what we can do about it, alright? But as for now, I'd really like to examine you, so you could finally eat something. Afterwards Haibara-san will want to take a blood sample from you." He gave Kaito an unimpressed stare, as the magician snorted. "Also, I believe Kudo and Hattori can't wait to see you back in the world of the living."

'And interrogate me, while they're at it…' the kaitou added in his mind, but didn't voice it and held back a sigh. "Well in that case, don't let me stop you, doc~" he answered instead with a playful smirk on his face, before his expression softened. "But Hakuba? Thanks. I mean it. I owe you guys big time." he added with a sincere smile.

The blond smiled back, but shook his head, before flashing a stark light in the magician's eyes, efficiently obstructing his vision. "You're welcome, but you don't owe us anything, Kuroba. And I didn't do much to begin with."

The kaitou snorted, holding back his reflex to jerk away from the flashlight. He wasn't sure what role did either of the detectives played in his rescue, but it was obvious that at the very least, his classmate watched over him and did his best to care for him. Worrying sick in the process. And besides that, he also helped to keep his secret safe. And if that wasn't a big deal, Kaito wasn't sure what was. But he didn't say anything, sparing Saguru further abashment. Instead, he allowed the detective to examine him, complying with any requests and answering his questions. In the meantime, he focused on his own body, carefully studying his current limitations.

* * *

After finishing, Saguru sighed with what sounded like relief, although Kaito wasn't as happy with his inspection. The sluggishness of his mind, which burdened him so heavily after he woke up, was still there, but it was subsiding rather fast, making it bearable. It was good news, but since it was caused by the dormitive they gave him, it wasn't really an important factor to focus on. Same went for the trembling in his hands, that unsurprisingly applied to his whole body, when he tried applying pressure to his muscles. Unfortunately, as expected, it only seemed to strengthen as time went by and he grew more weary. It might not have been a worrying symptom, but it was still unnerving for the kaitou, as it made him feel weak and defenseless.

There was also the matter of how long it took him to get his sight back to normal, after Hakuba flashed him in the eyes. He wasn't sure what to make of it and Saguru confirmed that it seemed to take his pupils longer to grow than it took them to narrow. For the time being they decided to observe it, hopefully it would go away. Thankfully, aside from that, his eyesight seemed more or less normal, maybe slightly blurry, but it wasn't surprising now.

As expected, the dizziness intensified with movement, but again that was most likely due to the IV drip with painkillers. More worrying was that his reaction time was slower and he had less control over his reflexes than usual, but for now he could probably also blame that on the dormitive, or the IV, or both. Fortunately his pain and joint reactions were intact, so his nervous system must have been fine, like Saguru predicted. Also his memory, aside from the haze covering what happened after the heist, seemed fine with both recalling past events as well as short term memories.

As he moved his body for the examination, he noticed that he was in overall pain. Mostly he could identify it as afterimage pain, but it was still worrying. What concerned him more was that his breath was significantly shallower and it hurt him when he tried to deepen it, forcing coughs out of him. He also noticed that his heart stung, as it beat faster. After taking off his shirt, he was highly alarmed by how swollen his abdomen seemed, but Hakuba assured him that organ edema was a common post poisoning symptom and should pass after up to 5 days. Thankfully, lung auscultation didn't reveal liquid lingering inside of them, so there was no immediate threat. He just had to be careful.

He was surprised to notice a few white patches on his chest, but Saguru informed him that it was a part of the wireless heart monitor and asked Kaito to not toy with it. It was somewhat amusing to play guinea pig for a new invention and he wondered what other functions the crazy professor added to the device. He was just itching to test it. He didn't really want to prank anyone with this, but some ideas still started popping into his head anyway~

The detective got up to unveil and open the window to let the sunlight and fresh air inside, while the magician sunk into the pillows behind him. It was annoying how tired he was feeling already.

"Are you alright, Kuroba?" the blonde asked with apparent worry in his tone, as he turned back from the window.

"Yeah… Just tired and hungry," he replied with a small smirk.

And it was true, from the time Hakuba first mentioned food, his stomach started waking up and reminding how much the kaitou neglected it lately. At least it had the decency to do it in silence…

Saguru snorted with amusement. "Alright then. I'll bring you something to eat and ask Kudo and Hattori to keep you company, so you don't get any stupid ideas."

Kaito blinked innocently at his classmate. "Why would you think that I might get any stupid ideas?"

The Brit rolled his eyes, still smiling. "Why indeed…" he muttered more to himself, while exiting the room and leaving the door open.

The magician guessed that Saguru would want to share what he found out with the others, at least briefly, meaning he had a few moments for himself. He dropped his smile and slumped in the bed. Even if he could, there was no point in running away. He lost and that was it. Besides, one couldn't escape from gratitude and he owed his life to the detectives. And what was worse, it wouldn't end with a one-time event. He hated the idea of burdening them with caring for him, but arguing about it would be even more humiliating, since this was the best solution now anyway…

This all just sucked big time. He wasn't bitter about getting caught, not really. He knew that he wouldn't manage to avoid it forever, but it wasn't supposed to happen like this! But he always expected that it would happen either because he slipped, or his detectives would finally outwit him. However it would happen, it was supposed to be grand! And this was just sad... He got caught, because he skipped a bit of sleep and they had to save his sorry ass. And he didn't even remember most of it! He felt so cheated out of his finale... Yeah, so it might be childish of him. Screw it. There wasn't much he was actually looking forward to lately, so this did make him feel terribly disappointed.

He could of course try blaming others for it. He could even try blaming Lady Luck... But it depends on how one looked at it, right? In the end, despite how much he screwed up, he did survive, because that one time he failed to run away. So he rather should thank Lady Luck instead. Although... he had a nasty feeling that the whole occurrence had something to do with his detectives' apparent curse. Because seriously, if a regular person, living outside of particularly dangerous areas, encountered two murders in their whole life time, it was considered a lot. And as far as he knew, Tantei-kun could feel lucky, if he encountered only two murders a month! That was insane... He sighed heavily. Not like he would tell them about his suspicions. That would be too mean, even for him. And he certainly didn't want them to think that they weren't welcome on his events. Especially since he knew how much fun it gave them.

His gaze fell on the empty glass between his palms and he picked it up with one hand. It was pointless to struggle with it, until he dealt with the trembling, but he just had to distract himself from the grim thoughts about the possible outcome and physical activity always was the best for it. He focused on balancing out the involuntary movements with his tardy reflexes, while drawing back successive fingers. It was horribly hard in his current state, but after few attempts he managed to somehow keep it up on just two fingers, when a sudden knock on the door broke his focus and the glass fell on the quilt. Damn it... He wasn't even able to catch it.

* * *

Kaito raised his gaze, concealing his annoyance behind his Poker Face and noticed the two expected detectives stepping inside.

"Hey KID~ How are you feeling~?" Heiji asked teasingly with a mischievous smirk on his lips.

Of course Tantei-han wouldn't miss the opportunity to boast his victory. The bed-ridden kaitou snorted and replied airily. "Oh you know~ Just peachy~ But I want you to know that I'm not acknowledging this. This clearly wasn't fair. I demand a rematch!" he added with a pout and crossed his arms.

The Osakan laughed at that. "Oh yeah? Well, nobody told you to go and get yourself poisoned, you ahou. We won fair and square, so deal with it!"

"Oh come on, cut me some slack-"

Heiji snorted and cut in, before the magician could finish. "No go. Maybe this will teach you to take better care of yourself, or at least ask for help when you're in a tight spot!"

Kaito waved the matter off and replied with a dismissive tone. "Hai, hai..." He didn't think it would work, but it was still a bit of fun to try.

The Osakan glared at him, apparently not pleased with his attitude. "Oi! I'm serious here!"

He sighed heavily. "Yeah, I know." He raised his sincere gaze and looked from one detective to the other. "And I am grateful to you guys. Really. I will make it up to you somehow."

Heiji rolled his eyes and looked away, abashed. "Ahou. Just stop avoiding us and acting like nothing is going on, and we'll be square, alright?"

In the meantime, Conan managed to climb on the chair next to the bed and now he spoke up with serious expression. "Kuroba. We would have saved anyone, even if we didn't consider them our friend. And you might have your flaws, but you are a good guy. And despite all odds, we do like you. So there's no need for you to feel obliged to do anything in return. Besides…" He smirked. "You've done already quite a lot of favors to us. Especially me."

"Heh…" Kaito turned away his gaze. The problem was that this wasn't the truth and he was quite sure all of them knew it. They were going to want him to pay the debt - even if they preferred to call it differently.

To prevent the awkward silence, Heiji decided to change the topic. "You thirsty?" He gave a pointed look at the glass, undoubtedly noticing the wet droplet stains on the cover.

"Not unless you want to turn me into a camel~ Hakuba made sure I had enough." He explained with a smirk.

"Somehow I don't feel like apologizing for it." Saguru spoke up with slight amusement, walking into the room with a tray in his hands. He placed it before Kaito. "I hope you don't mind that we didn't ask you for your preferences beforehand, but this should help-" he was saying, while uncovering the plate, when suddenly he got startled by a shriek.

Kaito was about to make a snarky comment about eating in the detectives' presence when the thought evaporated from his head in an instant he saw… IT staring at him with those dead-dead eyes. He got caught completely off guard and before he could get a hold of himself, he shrieked, and jerked violently in his defensive reaction, to get away from the fried finny monster. Seriously! Why people thought it was a good idea to prepare them whole?! It was disgusting and creepy as hell! He kicked the tray by accident, making it fly up and while gustily pulling away, he ripped the needle out of his arm and collided with the wall behind him, painfully hitting his head. He would have fallen out of the bed, if Conan didn't support him from the side. The pain sobered Kaito enough. He clapped a hand over his wound to stop the bleeding and shifted his weight to lean over the wall, doing his best to hold back the trembles shaking his whole body. He closed his eyes and pressed his injured arm to himself, as could barely catch his breath from pain and accelerated heart rate. He tried his best to conceal the signs of his panic as fast as he could, but the usually helpful adrenaline running in his veins wasn't doing him any favors now. His body cried for more oxygen, but he wasn't able to take a deep breath to fulfill the need!

With a curse on his lips, Heiji darted to him and helped Shinichi secure the magician on the bed. "What was that all about? Are you fine-?"

"That's what I would like to know. I thought you promised to keep him from jumping around the room once he woke…" a very unimpressed an annoyed voice said from the entrance.

Kaito cracked his eyes open and his gaze fell on the little girl, staring at the mess inside and his gasping self. She was dressed in a lab coat and was holding a small monitor in her hand, which she slipped back into her pocket. The aura of cold rage around her made the kaitou suppress a different kind of shudder. It was of course unnecessarily, since even if something slipped, nobody would distinguish it from the trembles from his strained muscles. But it definitely wasn't amusing how such a small person could be so intimidating. And it didn't help him gather his racing thoughts to make a believable excuse either. Fortunately Tantei-kun didn't seem to have such predicament, as he smiled sheepishly and replied.

"Sorry about that, Haibara. It appears that our guest has a severe fish allergy."

She raised an eyebrow, clearly disbelieving. "An allergy?" She turned her evaluating gaze at the thief, who was still struggling with getting a grip over himself and his breath.

"Yeah, a really bad one. Deadly even," he gasped out hastily and cleared his throat recalling that he shouldn't be acting like that. "Um- My apologies, Ojou-san?" he added, trying to slip on his KID-persona. But it shouldn't sound like a question. Gods… this was so humiliating! He wished the ground would swallow him up…

She narrowed her calculating gaze and hummed. Kaito's lungs burned like they were on fire, as he nearly stopped breathing. His mind was a mess and he wasn't sure if he wouldn't have jumped out of the window, if not for the two detectives standing on both of his sides.

Finally she sighed with annoyance and stuffed her hands in her pockets. "Whatever. Any other allergies or other predicaments I should take into account, Magician in the Moonlight-san?"

Oh man, how he hated his life at the moment. This had to be a nightmare… Despite it, he managed to smile and relax his posture somewhat on the bed. "Not that I know of. Thank you for your concern. I'm truly sorry for causing such turmoil."

"Well, it does seem to be your specialty, anyway," she replied with a smirk and turned to exit the room. "I'll bring another cannula. Kudo-kun, go ask the Professor to heat up yesterday's vegetable stew, meanwhile you two handle the mess, will you?" She added with one last glance at the two remaining detectives and left the room.

"I hate it when she acts like this…" Shinichi commented with dry amusement. "I'll be right back," he added with a compassionate smile and stepped to the door as well.

Saguru sighed, wiping off some rice off his cheek. "Well, anyway, this at least explains some of the inside jokes Aoko-kun has seemed to be annoying you with… Are you sure you're alright now?" He asked, casting a glance at his classmate, who only replied with a nod, apparently focused on getting his body under his control again. "I'll go fetch the first aid kit then. Would you take care of the sheets, Hattori?" he asked, picking up most of the dish and covering it again, so that the magician wouldn't see it anymore.

Heiji smirked. "Yeah, sure~" he replied and walked over to remove the stained quilt, after he confirmed with a quick glance that the kaitou wouldn't bleed out in the meantime.

Hakuba left the room, taking the tray with the fish away with him, much to Kaito's relief. The magician closed his eyes and did his best to relax and get the racing heartbeat under control again.

Heiji raised his gaze after Saguru and smirked. He turned to the magician, who was already breathing peacefully, apparently having recollected from the shock already. Not that he'd expect less. A grin formed on his lips. A little tease wouldn't hurt and could nicely improve the mood~

"But I'd never guess that the Great Kaitou KID was afraid of fish~"

Kaito's heart fastened again, before it could calm down after the first attack and he visibly tensed, shooting a glare at the detective. "Didn't you hear the **Heisei Holmes** , Tantei-han? It's an allergy…"

The tanned teen glared back, but otherwise ignored his comment, clearly taking satisfaction in how the kaitou reacted to the forbidden word. "But why **fish**? I do get sharks, but I don't think there is anything intimidating in a trout."

His body didn't have the time to recover from the previous adrenaline attack, when he was stabbed with pain again. It made the magician struggle harder to hide it from the teasing detective. But the burning in his lungs was getting too much to bear. There was just no way this day could turn out any worse! Now his nightmare about getting chased by his pursuers armed with the slimy monsters seemed so probable!

"Jeez! Alright, I admit I have ichthyophobia. Happy now? Could you drop it already?" he growled out with anger.

This was the last thing he would want to admit, but Tantei-han wasn't stopping and talking was getting too hard for Kaito. He just couldn't slow down his heart and had no way of supplying it with enough air. His mind unhelpfully supplied him with an image of the Osakan bringing in the finny monster, in case he kept on denying. He felt another pang of adrenaline and his vision started darkening.

Heiji blinked in surprise and raised his arms. "Oi, oi. You ok? Sorry man. Just wanted to lighten the mood a bit. I didn't think it's so bad for you."

Kaito shook his head and gasped out, clenching his eyelids. "It's not- I can't..." He couldn't hold back his frantic gasps anymore.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't force himself to take a deeper breath. Like his lungs were just too small. So he was limited to shallow, frantic gasps, which only worsened both his pain and oxygen deprivation. He curled on his left side and barely registered Hattori grabbing his arm and suppressing the wound, which could no longer hold. What was worse, his body was reacting to the emotions shifts around him, increasing his already abnormal anxiety. He tried to say something to calm, or at least chase the sources away, but there was no way he could do it.

* * *

"Kuroba!" Heiji cursed out loud and pressed his palm to the magician's forehead. "It's ok, you're going to be ok, you hear? You're not feverish, so it's not a relapse, you just need to calm down. Take a deep breath. Hyperventilating is not helping you, man-!" He tried frantically to reassure the kaitou, on edge of panic himself.

"Hattori!" Saguru gasped out as he rushed to the room, with a first aid kit, a few steps ahead of the two shrunken teens. "What happened?" he urged, as he pressed a finger to his classmate's neck to check the pulse. He cursed under his breath.

The Osakan shook his head, his gaze still focused on Kaito, desperate to find a way to help him. "I don't know! He was fine, so we teased a little and then-"

"You WHAT?! You hopeless fool! When will you learn that just because he looks fine, it doesn't mean that he is fine! How-"

"Shut up and leave. Both of you." The stoic, cold as steel tone of the tiny girl cut through the Brit's rant. "Kudo-kun..." She turned to the boy who came in behind her. "Dart him."

"On it," Shinichi mumbled, taking out from his pocket the tranquilizer watch and firing the dart at the gasping kaitou.

Kaito flinched after getting struck with the needle, making his gasps more irregular, staining each exhale with a pined whine.

Heiji cursed again. "It's not working on him!"

"It is. But his adrenaline is fighting the effect. But as it is, we can't give him anything stronger. No need. He will pass out from this, if you stop freaking out like this around him and finally allow him to calm down." Haibara explained calmly. "This is why I told you to leave," she added with a heavy glare.

"But-" the Osakan mumbled, wanting to argue and stay, but got cut off by Conan's calm voice.

"Guys, come on, don't make it any harder. There's nothing you can help anyway. Arguing over him won't help. He needs quiet to sleep. So just leave and calm down, please. I'll dress his wound."

Reluctantly the two teens stepped away and walked towards the entrance, casting worried glances, until the door closed behind them. Shinichi replaced Hattori at the magician's side and placed a Band-Aid on his injury. Not applying pressure on it would leave a nasty bruise, but it was more important to give Kaito space now. He noticed that the kaitou's eyelids were cracked open. Conan wasn't sure if he was seeing him, but he still patted the magician's hand and murmured.

"It's ok, just sleep. You'll be fine once you rest."

He stepped away to make place for Haibara, who calmly pressed the stethoscope's handset to the thief's chest. Shinichi hid a soft smirk, noticing the small heart monitor weighting her coat pocket. She obviously preferred to confirm her patient's state directly. Conan knew how much stress this whole situation had cost her. At first, she didn't want to help at all, apparently scared that her skills weren't good enough to save KID. That because of this, she would witness the man who saved her first die in front of her eyes. He wasn't sure how much she slept, spending the majority of her time first developing and then improving the cure for him. She wanted not only to keep him alive, but to also repair any damage caused by the poison.

After a few moments, Ai retracted her hand from KID and took off the stethoscope, taking out a cannula from a sterile packaging. "He's sleeping now, apparently the drug worked. I'll have to ask Hakase how long will it take for him to finish with the ultrasound device."

Shinichi raised an eyebrow and focused his gaze on the kaitou. He was still gasping, but did seem to be calming down now. The detective noticed that the blood started sipping from under the too small Band-Aid, so he searched the kit for a gauze and bandage. "Did you hear something worrying?" he whispered softly as well, to not disturb the sleeping teen.

Ai shook her head, while securing the needle in magician's right arm. "No, but I'm not an expert. I'd rather take a look to make sure. But he will still need to see a real doctor after we'll finish the treatment." She added for what felt like a hundred time.

Conan held back a snort and moved his gaze towards her. "I know and we will arrange that. But try not to worry. He is strong. I'm sure his heart is in top condition, from all the training he does. You saw him, despite his state now, he clearly doesn't have a habit of neglecting himself. He'll be fine, you'll see."

She huffed and stepped around the bed to get to the other side. "Pass me the IV, will you? It should be at this side now, if we don't want him to rip it again."

"Sure." The boy climbed on to the bed. "Should we roll him on his back?" he asked, passing the medicine drip.

"No, we better not disturb him. Could you stay with him?" she asked while securing the IV over the bed. "I have to get back to the lab and it would be bad if he fell out of the bed, or stopped breathing. Hakuba-san mentioned that his anxiety level is still unnaturally high, I should do something about it. I'm also worried by his slow pupil reaction… And if he'll start eating, I could lower the glycan. Although… Maybe it would be better to consider the feeding tube."

"Oi, oi… you know that's unnecessarily intrusive and is always avoided by the doctors, unless there's no other choice. And you said it yourself that it is better to cut the dormitive anyway. So if he can eat, we should let him, instead of risking hurting his throat as well. This now was an accident, we had no way of knowing about his phobia. Before that, he wasn't trying to run or pull any tricks. It'll be fine now. He isn't that stupid to risk his life unless he can't help it."

She glared at him, not believing his words, but huffed. "Fine. Just make sure he stays in bed this time," she grumbled and walked towards the door.

Shinichi smirked, quietly watching her leave. He turned his gaze towards his sleeping rival-friend, whose breath wasn't as frantic anymore. The detective carefully pushed away his bangs and checked the temperature on his forehead. He sighed with relief and gave him a gentle stroke on his hair, before retracting his hand.

"Sheesh, idiot… Could you just give up on scaring us like this?" he mumbled fondly and got off the bed to wrap the magician's injury, wondering where Agasa kept a spare blanket.


	34. Forgotten friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Kaito sleeps, the detectives recall and deal with what happened after the heist and intend to get the magician back to sleep once he wakes up. Unfortunately, things are not as easy as one might wish, when dealing with a kaitou.

When they reached the living room, Hakuba turned to Hattori, who was silently following him, and hissed through his clenched teeth. "What the bloody hell were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry... I didn't think-"

"No! You clearly didn't!" Saguru snapped, avoiding raising his voice. "For all we know, he might still die. It's a miracle that he didn't suffer any brain damage, but if we are not careful enough with him-"

"I know that as well as you do!" Heiji snapped back, before his expression turned back to remorseful and he looked away. "I just- I wanted to give him the opportunity to laugh it off, you know? It didn't even cross my mind that it might do more than annoy him. Gods..." He rubbed his face with his hand. "I mean, we always tease each other, you know, and we both sort of' enjoy it..." He tried to smile, but failed.

The blonde sighed heavily and rubbed his eyelids. It probably didn't help how many times the Osakan witnessed people die in front of him. And given how bad Kuroba was the last time he saw him... No wonder he wanted to try and have him act normal and alive again. "It's hard for all of us. I guess... Sorry for lashing out like this on you, Hattori."

"Nah man, I deserved it this time." He waved it off and focused his gaze on the Brit. "Anyway, how are you feeling? Because you look like hell. You should get some rest."

Saguru shook his head. "I appreciate your concern, but I don't think I would be able to fall asleep anyway. I'd prefer to make sure he is fine..." He looked back at the stairs leading to the higher level, where the guest room was.

Heiji clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, I get it. But lil' Neechan most likely won't let you now anyway. Come on, I promise I'll wake you if anything changes." He noticed a grimace on Hakuba's expression, so he added. "You can take the second heart monitor with you and put the volume up. It'll alarm you if anything drastic happens."

"I do appreciate your concern, but I really don't think-"

"Oh come on! Even if you won't actually sleep, a little rest would do you good and you know it."

"Well, I had plenty rest like that while watching over Kuroba."

Heiji gave him a very unimpressed stare, clearly showing what he thought about 'rest' like that. From the worried professor, they knew that since the two of them left on Saturday morning, the Brit practically haven't left Kaito's room. At most, he could have dozed off on the chair, although apparently he was more or less awake each time anybody entered.

Neither Kudo nor Hattori wanted to leave obviously, but they had no other choice. Throughout the frantic night, when they had to work hard to prevent KID from dying, they completely forgot about the girls. So to keep everything a secret, the two of them had to return to them and despite their efforts, they weren't able to return to Agasa's for the night. Fortunately, Shinichi managed to manipulate Sonoko to kidnap Ran and Kazuha to celebrate the start of the summer break with a girls-only Sunday. Which left little Conan under Heiji's care~ Well, actually Ran left him in Kogoro's care, but since the guy was more than happy to pass the burden on somebody else, it was all the same.

After finally getting to the professor's place, they didn't fail to notice how exhausted their fellow detective was, but since Ai declared that KID was well enough to try and wake him, they decided to do that first. It was obvious that Saguru wouldn't be able to rest before he knew that his classmate didn't sustain any permanent damage and despite how tired he was, he was best equipped to conduct an examination.

Hattori sighed heavily, but before he could reply they both heard quiet steps on the stairs, so they turned towards it. Haibara soon appeared and sighed with annoyance, as she noticed the hopeful looks they were giving her.

"He's asleep now, but I think it should be obvious that you three ganging up on him anytime soon is a bad idea and a waste of my efforts. You'll have to wait with your insistent questions until he recovers enough."

Hakuba let out a breath he didn't intend to hold, his expression visibly relieved, clearly not being bothered by her dry tone. "Yes, I do believe you are right, Haibara-san. I'll go and-" He was already raising his foot to put it on the stairs before she moved in front of him, blocking the path.

"I think I made myself clear. No ganging up on him. Kudo-kun is with him and I would think he can handle an unconscious teenager. And if he can't, he should be able to call for help," she replied with a heavy glare.

Heiji raised his hands, hoping to ease the little girl. "Maa, maa, we get it. But you know, you actually chose the guy with the most questions to look after him~"

Ai focused her glare on him. "I have high hopes that Kudo-kun will be smart enough to refrain himself from pushing my patient." Both detectives felt a chill run their spines, as she said that with an unvoiced threat hidden underneath her words. "Either way, I wasn't left with much choice. KID-san doesn't know Hakase and I have something else to do. Should I have chosen a blabber-mouth, who might as well worsen things up AGAIN-" Hattori did his best not to wince at that. "Or a guy who is already barely holding up on his feet? You'd do best if you rested, Hakuba-san and get your emotions back in control," she reprimanded the Brit harshly.

Saguru hung his head, mumbling an apology and took a step back, unwilling to argue with his host. Heiji grimaced, but chose to hold back his tongue as well this time. Quarreling wouldn't do any good and most likely he wouldn't hold back once they started. Also... she did have a point after all, even if she was unnecessarily harsh.

The little scientist, seeing that they wouldn't argue or defy her, stepped past them and walked towards the basement laboratory.

"Come on." The Osakan placed a hand on Saguru's shoulder to get his attention. "You'll feel better once you got a little shut eye. We'll watch over him in the meantime."

"Alright, but-"

Hattori rolled his eyes and interrupted him. "Yeah, yeah, we'll wake you up, if anything happens, or before we have to leave. But for now, you have a couple more hours, so use 'em before you end up in need for more care than Kuroba." He winced as he felt a glare from Ai on his back. Crap, he thought she already left. The girl made it clear that she did not appreciate them supplying her with KID's identity.

Hakuba smiled softly, noticing the other's dismay and appreciating his efforts. "Alright. But I am taking the monitor with me."

"Sure~"

After Saguru left to the guest room, Heiji wondered what he could do to keep himself occupied. He went to the kitchen to have a little chat with the old inventor to see if he wanted some explanations, or needed assistance with anything, while waiting in case Kudo called for his help.

* * *

 

After dressing the injury, Shinichi covered Kaito's curled form with a spare blanket. Before leaving his side the detective checked his temperature and pulse. Neither was in norm for a soundly sleeping person, as he was a bit cold and had a higher heart rate, but it wasn't at an alarming level and seemed to be stable, thankfully. That done, Conan could leave him be. He wondered about the possible impact this attack could have had on the magician's condition and figured he should make some preparations, just in case. From his experience, of using the dart watch on multiple people, he could easily predict how long a healthy person would be knocked out by it. Taking into account Kuroba's state, he could guess that the period for him would be most probably a bit longer. And since, while the drug was in effect, the person wouldn't move in their sleep, it should be safe to leave him alone for a few minutes. So without wasting any time Shinichi stepped away from the bed and out of the room, leaving the door open behind him.

He found Heiji talking with Agasa in the kitchen. Both of them turned to him with alarm, when they noticed him.

"Oi, something wrong?" Hattori asked with worry, already walking towards him hastily. "You could have called out if you needed help."

"Everything's fine, don't worry. He's sleeping soundly and won't be moving around for at least 10 more minutes." This visibly eased the worry on both males' expressions. "By the way, where's Hakuba?"

"He went to a guestroom to get some rest just a while ago. He should be still awake, if you need anything from him." The Osakan supplied helpfully.

Conan shook his head. "Nah. Best let him rest, he'll probably won't do that after we leave again for the night. Anyway, I wanted to ask for a favor. I figured that now Kuroba will be having a harder time using his hands and I'm worried that he might not be able to hold a spoon steadily." He didn't need to say that chopsticks were out of the question entirely.

The professor frowned, undoubtedly thinking of a new invention to solve a problem like that. "So you want something to help feed him that's not a tube?" He hummed.

Shinichi waved his hands. "No, no. I imagine he would want at least a little feel of independence. Even I definitely wouldn't be happy to be fed, no matter if by a machine or a person." The elderly man's expression fell with disappointment. "I just wanted to ask of you to blend the stew and serve it in a cup with a wide straw." He shrugged. "Not the most appealing form, but he should be able to deal with it by himself that way. Also, I would be grateful if you could bring it to the door in about half an hour. I don't really want to wake him up forcefully, but if the smell does the trick, it would mean he's fine enough." He added with a shrug.

Agasa smiled heartwarmingly. "Alright Shinichi, no problem."

"Thanks Hakase~"

"Um, Kudo..? Is there something I could do?" The Osakan asked with a perplexed tone.

The boy turned towards his friend. He easily recognized the guilt on his face and felt sorry for him. Unfortunately, while he would like to give him some assignment, he couldn't think of anything aside from waiting on standby in case he would be needed. "Well, unless he starts trashing again after the drug, I should be able to handle everything by myself. It would be best, if he went back to sleep after eating, so I'd prefer to be alone with him, to not get him agitated too much. It would probably be best to just leave him alone after he wakes up, but there's a chance he might need some help. And I doubt he would call out to get it. Most likely he would stubbornly try to deal with it himself, even if it meant getting hurt in the process."

Heiji nodded to that and his gaze fell to the floor. "Listen, Kudo, I'm really sorry..." he made a pause to find the right words and Conan used it to cut him off gently.

"I know, Hattori, but it's not me who you should apologize to. Although I bet he knows as well that you meant no harm. We all know how you are~" he added with a smirk. "He'll be fine in a few days, so don't worry too much. But till then, we have to be careful with him, so just try to hold back and don't do anything stupid anymore, alright?"

The teen snorted. "You suck at comforting you know that?"

"Who said I was trying to comfort you~?" Shinichi retorted with a sly grin.

Heiji chuckled. "Fair~ Anyway, you have to admit that it was surprising for him to shriek like that."

Conan chuckled as well. "Can't say I expected it~" He looked at watch. "Well, I have to get back to him. Haibara will kill me, if he falls out of the bed." With that, he turned to the stairs.

"Ah, she'll kill you if you question Kuroba too much as well~" Hattori explained "helpfully."

Shinichi snorted and waved a hand dismissively, already suspecting something like that and started climbing the stairs. It was true that initially he hoped that they could get some answers out of the magician, as soon as he woke. And that they could clear some of the more pressing matters. But as things were now, he didn't need to be told that he should avoid any stressful topics, unless Kaito started them himself. As annoying as it could be, Conan was patient enough to hold back a few days, especially if it meant that Kuroba would get better faster.

* * *

 

Back in the room, the magician didn't move an inch, so Shinichi was left to his musings. He could have taken a book or a game to keep himself occupied, but he doubted he could focus on it. He wondered how Saguru managed it. Conan's gaze scanned the room until he noticed the volume he lent to the Brit. Curiously he picked it up and opened it. He noticed that a bookmark was still tucked under the cover and careful carting through the pages didn't reveal any other type of marking. Of course, Hakuba could simply remember the page he finished on, but somehow Kudo had a feeling it wasn't the case. He put the book away, slightly abashed for prying into his friend's private matters.

His attention was brought to the kaitou again, as he heard him stir under the cover. The detective held his breath. Apparently the drug was losing its effect. Shinichi was slightly worried that Kaito might start trashing, but fortunately he only adjusted his position and became motionless again. The silence was once again disturbed only by KID's wheezing, as his body kept on the struggle to pump in and out enough oxygen. As worrisome as the noise should be, the detective was already used to it and now it only kept him comforted that Kuroba was still alive. Conan sighed and walked over to him, feeling the need to confirm the kaitou's heart rate and temperature.

It all felt so wrong and ironic. Shinichi always saw himself as the one who reminded everybody that KID was just a human, with human limitations. But apparently somewhere on the way, he eventually also fell for those all-knowing smirks, and beyond reason, he started believing that the white clad man was an unbreakable and unstoppable force. This is why he never felt bad about venting out his frustration at the harmless thief. Only after the long talks with Hakuba, he started worrying about the magician. It was challenging, because somehow it felt only natural that no matter what happened, KID would always return to dance in the night sky, while basking in the moonlight. That no matter what, he would always prevail. This is why it was so hard for Conan to witness him fight for his life like this. And nearly lose.

* * *

 

Shinichi doubted that Kaito remembered much of what was happened to him while Heiji carried him to the parking lot, or after leaving the mansion. Back then, he practically wasn't responsive anymore, as the best they could get out of him were unintelligible grumbles. They struggled to keep him awake, needing to bring him back from unconsciousness two more times during the short trip. They failed to wake him the third time. Hattori insisted to ride in the back with him and sat on the floor, continuing his efforts to wake the kaitou up and making sure that he didn't stop breathing. It might have been easier for Conan to fit in the tight space, but he didn't have enough strength in his current form to perform an efficient CPR, in case Kaito's heart stopped. Thankfully that didn't happen, but Heiji's strength was still needed, as the thief's trembles, which the detectives noticed before, turned into violent seizures and the Osakan had to struggle with him to make sure he didn't hurt himself or choke. By the time they were already at Agasa's and Hakuba managed to join them, the spasms faded and it seemed as if Kuroba's body was giving up. His temperature went on a rollercoaster, apparently as the last attempt of the organism to fight back. But it went out of control. The fever peaked so high that Saguru worried about possible brain damage. Somehow that possibility felt as frightening as death to the detectives, if not more. They took the unconscious magician to the bathroom, stripped him from his clothing and kept pouring cold water on him to lower his fever only to warp him in blankets, rubbing his arms, when the temperature dropped dangerously, struggling to prevent hypothermia in turn.

It took Ai over an hour to synthesize the first antidote and even after applying it, Kaito struggled with the dangerous temperature swings for around fifteen more minutes, before the fever stopped being so high. Even after he was out of the danger zone, they had no guarantee that he would be fine. There was a possibility that his body would reject the antidote, or that he was already too damaged to survive.

When the medicine started finally working on him and cold compresses were enough to handle the fever peaks, they dressed him again and laid him on the bed, to give his body at least a little comfort. But overall Kaito was terribly weak. His breathing was barely noticeable and shallow, and as for his heart... It nearly stopped a dreadful two times. Only thanks to immediate reaction were they able to prevent that, but they had to come to a conclusion that if there would be a third time, they would have to call an ambulance. Thankfully there wasn't.

Haibara did her best to improve the recipe, to make it as acceptable for human organism as possible and support his failing organs. Shinichi wasn't sure how many times they changed the IV they were feeding the magician with. Eventually she came up with a formula, she was pleased with and Kaito seemed stable enough to not need any additional medicine. It was dawn already at the time, so she ordered them then to go to sleep, so they wouldn't be useless later on. Bemused, Shinichi wondered if she listened to her own advice and doubted it. Nonetheless, they had to admit that they were exhausted, the full night of stress and struggle taking toll on their bodies and minds. Sleeping was out of question, as they were too worried to manage that, but they agreed that trying to get some shut eye would do them only good. So they decided on shifts, so that there would always be somebody watching over Kaito and they did their best to rest. Unfortunately they didn't get much time before Ran called and they had to leave.

* * *

 

Having already folded the dirty bedding, Shinichi was trying to busy himself with mindlessly browsing the internet on his phone when he was alarmed by silence. The constant wheezing from the sleeping kaitou has gone quiet, with one last soft sigh. Conan nearly jumped towards him, shout already forming in his throat, when he noticed that Kaito's body under the blanket was still keeping the steady movement of peaceful breathing. The detective paused, carefully observing him for a few long moments. His breathing pattern, while still a bit too shallow, was a rather convincing imitation of a soundly sleeping person. Even Kuroba's face was a pure image of peacefulness, without even a hint of pain or struggle from before. Shinichi smirked at that and shook his head. He might have fallen for this, if he didn't see how the sleeping magician acted before. He checked his watch. The half an hour he established with Hattori and Hakase still haven't passed, but it was close. He wondered if KID woke up purely by himself, or from the faint smell of cooked food. Oh well, not that it mattered really. He sat back on his chair, waiting for the kaitou to open his eyes, sure that if anything was wrong with Kuroba's heart rate, he would be alarmed by his friends.

Minutes passed and he heard the faint scraping at the door, but Kaito still didn't move. Shinichi wasn't sure anymore whether the magician haven't fallen back to sleep, but he decided that this wouldn't do. He walked to the door and found two cups waiting behind it. One, rather large, with a straw sticking out from a lid and another, regular sized, with heavenly smelling coffee inside. This brought a smile to his face. However, both were still steaming hot. He carefully picked them up and brought into the room to place them on a nightstand. That done, he turned his unimpressed stare towards the seemingly sleeping figure.

"I know you're awake, so it would be great if you opened your eyes finally and stopped pretending," he said with a bemused tone, but softly enough to not startle Kaito in case he was actually sleeping.

After a few moments of consideration on the magician's part and staring on the detective's, KID finally sighed and rolled on his back.

"You really are creepy, you know that? What if I like to take my time before leaving the dreamland~?" The teen offered in an amused grumble, before he opened his eyes, glittering with amusement, fixed on the tiny figure beside him.

"Sure you do," Shinichi replied with an eye roll. "More importantly, how are you feeling?"

Kaito grimaced and instead answering he pulled himself up on the pillows to sit up again. Seeing his shoulders shiver while doing it was enough of an answer for Shinichi. The detective averted his gaze, unable to help the teen anyway and unwilling to make him feel more awkward.

The magician sighed tiredly after he sunk into his makeshift backrest. "Had better days," he admitted with a small smile, only half succeeding in bringing some amusement to his tone.

It felt off to see KID having trouble concealing the unwanted emotions. And it made Conan wonder about another possibility, besides shame of showing weakness, that could have cause it.

"Hey, despite what you might think about it, it's not a bad thing that we discovered your phobia," he said softly and didn't miss the slight twitch of Kaito's lips and took it as a sign that he hit the mark. "I'm really sorry you had to go through this, especially now. But we had no idea that it might be a problem, so now at least we do and will be able to avoid it." He grimaced and scoffed, seeing that the thief didn't look convinced. "Come on, you didn't really think that we might use it against you, did you? Hattori is really regretting how he acted. You know he didn't mean wrong, right? He's just acts like an idiot sometimes~"

The kaitou breathed a laugh. "Yeah, he does~" His expression fell and his eyes scanned the blanket, as if he was searching for something to focus his gaze on. "But I'm not- I mean… I don't react this bad usually. I don't faint at the sight or after having it mentioned," he blurted out, with a mix of annoyance and confusion on his face.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, you didn't. I darted you, so you passed out from the drug actually." Kaito's eyebrows rose as he turned to Shinichi, so he continued hastily, before he could get any wrong ideas. "As Hakuba told you, your insides are swollen, so you weren't able to make up with your breathing for the risen heart rate. We had to lower it, or you would have passed out of suffocation and your body definitely doesn't need another trauma like that." He shrugged. "That was the fastest and safest method."

"Huh, yeah I guess… Thanks."

"Anytime~" the boy replied with a smirk, causing the magician to give him an unimpressed glare.

"Just don't make a habit out of it."

"We'll see~ Anyway, just for future reference, does your phobia apply to all marine creatures, or just..?" Shinichi trailed off, carefully observing the teen, watchful for any worrisome symptoms.

"Just the finny things…" the kaitou mumbled and glared at the detective for his raised eyebrow. "Gotta call it somehow."

Conan raised his arms and made a mental note, to avoid the f-word as well. "I'm not judging. So, care to tell me how did you end up with a phobia like that? It's not a common thing," he added trying to avert the topic from the magician's state. Might not have been the best choice, but honestly speaking he was curious about it.

"That's not a memory I like to recall, thank you very much. Then again, I guess you should be able to figure out the general reason" he added slyly.

Shinichi looked at him with curiosity. Meaning he already knew enough? "Oh… Must have been hard to be a son of a fear kaitou?"

Kaito snorted with fake amusement. "I'd rather say that it wasn't at least boring whenever she was around~ Apart from that accident, it wasn't bad, really."

An accident, huh? Well, that was to be expected actually. In the end, the cheerful woman didn't strike him as a hidden psychopath, but then again she didn't seem to be a kaitou either.

Conan glanced at the cups. Hopefully their contents would be already cold enough for consumption. He hopped off the chair and took a step towards the nightstand. If only he could clear up the heavy atmosphere. He couldn't blame Kaito for feeling more on edge now. He felt not only physically vulnerable, but also mentally. Most probably he would have a hard time sleeping, until he accepted the situation. He glanced at the magician. Aside from seeming slightly subdued, he appeared fine and Shinichi doubted it was just an act this time. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to give Hattori's method a try? With a more careful approach…

"Well, I'm happy to know that you weren't constantly traumatized. Sorry for prying…" He trailed off and Kuroba just smirked, shaking his head, to show that he didn't mind. "But anyway, I'd never thought I'd hear a shriek like that from you~" he teased, while carefully eyeing KID from the corner of his eye.

The magician tensed and turned his accusing look at the tiny detective. "Oi! I thought you said you won't be teasing me about this!" he complained.

"And I'm not, I'm only talking about your reaction. Especially that I won't rather get to see it again. Such a waste…" he sighed and picked up the larger cup.

Kaito glared at him, but his mouth spread in an unpleasant grin. "Well~ At times like this, I'm glad I'm me, with both my memory and my skills~"

Shinichi stilled, sensing a trap and he put the cup down, just in case. "What do you mean by that...?" he asked carefully, turning his gaze towards the kaitou. Apparently the tease worked as he hoped, but suddenly the detective wasn't so sure if he really was happy about it.

KID's grin gained his usual edge and he cleared his throat and to Conan's dread, he spoke softly with the detective's teenage voice first. "Well, I'm going to look around the roof. Ran, do you want to come with me?" The detective paled, recalling the situation. There was a slight interruption of Ran's voice. "Eh..?" And the kaitou continued with Shinichi's voice. "There's an observation level above." Then Sonoko's voice spoke up, as the shrunken boy ran back to the bed trying to shush the thief, but he cheerfully ignored his frantic gestures. "Just go ahead, Ran!" and the childish Conan's voice "I want to go too!" followed by the heiress' grumble "You can't go..." The boy clapped his small hands on Kaito's mouth, muffling him as he started crying out loudly in Conan's voice "I want to! I wa-"

Shinichi glanced at the door and only hoped that Heiji wasn't eavesdropping… The Osakan would never let him live after all the trouble Conan put him through with one particular recording. Undoubtedly, he would gladly take this opportunity for payback.

"Shh! Don't you EVER do that again. Are we clear?" he tried threatening the magician.

Well, at least he had a proof that KID's memory and wits were doing fine. Somehow he expected to be more relieved about it. He allowed Kaito to peel his hands off his mouth, uncovering his sharp grin. He was about to say something, when suddenly the door burst open and Heiji rushed into the room.

"Oi, what's-?!" the Osakan started with an alarmed voice, but cut himself off, as he failed to notice any emergency – just Conan sitting on Kaito's lap, with the magician holding his hands. He raised an eyebrow. "Everything alright here? I heard Kudo shout…"

Kuroba grinned at Hattori. "Everything's a-ok~ The little guy here was just overly happy to see me awake again and wanted a cuddle~ Right, Tantei-kun~?" the magician asked, with a sly grin directed at the boy.

Shinichi glared at him and his lip twitched with annoyance. If not for Kaito's condition, he would've gladly done something to him. He definitely had to avoid using Heiji's methods of dealing with Kuroba in the future.

He turned his gaze towards his friend and wasn't amused with how high up his eyebrows were. "Seriously? We were just fooling around and this idiot made me want to strangle him. Sorry to have you worried, Hattori."

"Aww~ Come on Co-chan~ There's no need to be shy about it~ Especially after you so vigorously jumped on me~" KID replied with a wide grin.

The shrunken detective opened his mouth, but closed it again. And how was he supposed to reply to this?! The worst was that Kuroba did have a point. He grumbled something incomprehensible and turned to get off his lap, when he got pulled into a hug. "Oi, oi-!"

"Happy now~? Sorry for holding you back before~" the magician spoke with far too much amusement and Conan barely held back from kicking him in the gut for it.

Heiji opened his mouth and closed it again, shell-shocked with the sight, of his friend struggling in the magician's hold. Shinichi could practically see questions forming in his mind, but thankfully he decided to not voice them. For now. "Erm… Alright then, sorry to have-"

But he didn't get to finish his thought, as Kaito interrupted him with a softened smile on his face, while easing his grip on the shrunken teen, who used the opportunity to get off his lap. "You don't have to leave, you know. I might be still pissed at you, but it doesn't mean I don't want to see you ever again. I mean, come on! You put me in such a state and leave Tantei-kun to apologize for you? Not cool~"

The Osakan stopped midstep and gave the magician a glare, but it softened fast, guilt winning over. He sighed. "I'm really sorry about that, man… Treat it as a payback for knocking me out during the Suzuki challenge?" He offered with a weak smile.

The kaitou glared back at him and crossed his arms. "Heists don't count. You don't see me trying to pay back Tantei-kun for all the soccer balls." Shinichi winced while getting to the edge of the bed, away from Kaito's grip. "Besides, knocking people out is what I do at heists. You can blame only yourself for falling for it."

Conan gave a bemused chuckle. "Yeah, I sure blame him."

He reached for the large cup and passed it to Kuroba, keeping his hold on it, until it was safely resting on the magician's stomach. The tremble of his hands was far more visible than before and it was doubtful he could hold it by himself. That done he hanged his feet off the bed and picked up his own cup. He sighed with pleasure at the soothing scent.

"Well~ Can't say I minded~ Made my work easier, for a change~" The magician continued and glanced at the cup with interest, but didn't try to open the lid. Probably figured that he might spill the contents while trying to. "What's this?"

"The vegetable stew. We blended it, so you can drink it through the straw. Might be still hot, so watch it." Heiji explained and when he saw that Shinichi didn't mind his presence there, he walked over to the vacant chair next to the bed to sat on it. He figured that his friend could use some backup with holding the magician at bay. "Still. I came all the way from Osaka and didn't get to chase you at all."

"Don't blame me for the second day. That I had nothing to do with~" He snorted and took a careful sip through the straw.

Meanwhile Shinichi tilted his cup, savoring the taste. He gave a relieved sigh and turned his gaze to the kaitou. "By the way. What did you have initially planned for the first day?"

Kaito tilted his head and gave a convincing show of incomprehension. "What do you mean?"

The shrunken detective rewarded him an eye roll. "You really thought I would believe for a second that you actually planned for a lame trick like that?"

The kaitou glared back. "Well, it was enough for Nakamori-keibu and Suzuki-no-jiisan."

Shinichi smirked. "And since when is that enough for you~? Besides, you knew it was lame and wasn't happy about it, which is why you had to get rid of the three of us in the first place. It's obvious that you had both days planned beforehand and had already the initial preparations done, but just didn't have enough time to manage it on the first day. I won't push you, if you don't want to tell us, but don't try to deny it."

KID chuckled with a pleased grin on his face. "I can never get anything past you for long, can I~? Alright, I admit you're right. Care to tell me what you thought I have prepared~?"

"And will you correct me, if I'm wrong and tell the true plan?"

Kaito hummed and took another sip of the stew. "That depends on how much you figured out~ I don't want to do your job for you~ It wouldn't be fun~"

Meaning he would be giving them tips at most. Conan huffed a laugh. "Alright, fair enough. I'll humor you." He drank the rest of his coffee and turned on the bed to sit cross-legged. It was actually a good idea – this way he would give Kuroba time to slowly finish his meal, avoiding their presence there being awkward and hopefully with agitating him too much. "First of all, you have a tendency to repeat a trick when you repeat a heist, so I guess that you would have wanted to at least repeat the main part of the second day – being the wall crossing. I'm pretty sure that most of the footages you fed the security with were done in advance. Most likely soon after the building was finished. I'm not sure whether you done it in person, or just placed your image over the corridor record, but all that matters is it was still done beforehand. There were only two you made directly before the show – both in the room with the dagger. Preparing it probably took most of your free time before the heist. You couldn't have done it before, since you didn't know who would be guarding the target and what it would be."

"And what lead you to that conclusion?" The magician asked, clearly intrigued.

Heiji smirked, noticing Shinichi casting him a look. "Because the background didn't match on the other footages. It wasn't anything obvious, but the color was slightly different." He shrugged, internally enjoying the shared deduction show. "Most likely they changed the light bulbs in the meantime and it slipped your attention."

Kaito blinked in surprise and smirked back. "Huh... oh well~ Figures you guys would have noticed~ I admit that I prepared the records five months ago. Unfortunately, I only kept tabs on any remodeling or installment of any new equipment inside." He shrugged. "My bad."

Conan huffed. "Well to be honest, the difference wasn't big enough for us to notice it during the first time we watched it, so I'm not surprised you missed it. Anyway, I'm not really keen on magic tricks, but since your main tools for the evening were the tunnels and those footages, I guess you planned something of a multiplication trick, where you would run in several corridors at once."

The magician only crooked his head, raising one eyebrow and continued slurping on the stew, without replying to the comment.

Heiji rolled his eyes and picked up where Shinichi left. "There were a few factors that could have stopped you from doing it. First of all, the old guy surprised you with the short notice and you couldn't prepare everything. Timing the records when you stand still and can focus on it is one thing, but making it while running? Impossible. You probably intended to set up some motion sensors that would do it for you or something like that. Secondly, Suzuki hired way fewer guards than you expected him to."

"And why would that bother me? In such a big building, having fewer guards, especially when the cameras are in my control, only works in my favor." Kaito reasoned with a grin.

"Which means that for the full trick to happen, you needed to blend into the crowd." Shinichi replied and frowned. He rubbed his chin and his gaze fell as he continued speaking, more to himself. "Meaning the second day heist wasn't what you planned on either. It was a limited version, since the officers were cuffed, so you couldn't blend with them at will..." He raised his gaze to meet the laughing indigo orbs. "You expected us to be part of the pursuit as well, didn't you?"

The grin on Kuroba's face widened. "A multiplication trick done like that would be really lame~ I expect that even Baka-Tantei would figure it out… Eventually~" He chuckled.

Conan snorted. "You know, Occhan actually isn't as stupid as he seems."

The magician waved a hand in a dismissive gesture. "Yeah, yeah, I know... He only acts as a douche. Maybe he would be even an acceptable investigator, if he wasn't so impatient and didn't try to show-off."

"Funny coming from you~" Heiji pointed out with a snicker.

Kaito glared at him. "Unlike him, I can pull it off and I know when to act oblivious instead of all-knowing, when I'm not in control of the situation. And... I don't handle sensitive situations so roughly." His lips twitched, before he grabbed the straw with them again.

Shinichi winced, recalling each time the magician was present at a murder case and how strongly he reacted to them, before doing his best to either help, or keep tabs on the killer. "Well anyway, back to the topic." The kaitou looked up at him with interest back in his eyes, as if nothing happened. "Meaning you didn't intend a multiplication trick, but some kind of cross between what you did on the second day and that? Hum..." He narrowed his eyes and gasped. "The moment when you phased into the wall on tape... How many of these did you make?"

"I'd say enough~"

Hattori huffed a laugh. "So what? You'd make it into a phasing trick, where you show in different corridors both physically and on film? But how would you manage to ditch the chase hot on your heels, so they wouldn't see you pass the wall?"

"He would probably have had a few installments like that one 'accidental' on the second day, where his hand ripped off the black hole, so that they would manage to witness him passing a wall. Besides that, he would run around with the security, as one of them. If he timed it right and neither of us would be able to follow the monitors, it could work. Especially, if he had us witness him turning into mist and going into a wall."

Kaito slurped on the straw one last time, finishing his meal. "Bin~go Tantei-kun~ I knew you could figure it out~ Too bad I wasn't able to manage it though... Would have been fun. Oh well. Mind if I ask you a question in turn?" Conan raised an eyebrow at that and gave a small nod. "How did you discover the tunnel? I was kind of proud of that particular trick. Thought you'd need more time to figure that one out."

Both detectives chuckled at it. "Well, to tell you the truth, I got lucky and stepped over it with my badge on. It has an LED light you see." The magician hummed in confirmation, apparently pleased with the answer. "My turn for a question? What happened to the 'Crimson Dagger'? You still didn't return it and you didn't have it on you during the 'Dresden Green' heist. Didn't you manage to check it out yet?"

Kaito snorted with annoyance. "I want the old guy to sweat a bit for forcing me to hold a heist when he feels like it. Maybe that will teach him."

Conan coughed in his fist. "Oi, oi… come on, it's not like you to be this petty…"

"Correction~ It's unlike KID to be petty. And I'm pissed. Besides, I never promised to return as fast as possible, so just let him worry that it actually was what I'm looking for and that I won't be returning it at all," he added with a grin.

The detectives let out dry laughs. They couldn't really blame him. Obviously, if not for Jirokichi, Kaito wouldn't be in such a bad shape and most likely wouldn't end up getting poisoned, but it didn't feel right. It was already enough to swallow that he stole at all.

Heiji gave him a wry smile. "Yeah well, I get you, but still… Just say where you keep it, so we can return it and forget about it."

"Hum~? Now wouldn't you like to know where's my…" The magician trailed off and his expression fell.

Before either of the boys could react KID cursed under his breath and threw off the blanket, already moving to get off the bed on the right side. He stumbled on his bare feet, having some trouble with keeping the upright position.

"Oi, oi! What's the big idea?!" Heiji shouted, leaping off the chair and already circling the bed to cut the kaitou from the door and herd him back.

"Kuroba, lie down." Conan tried to keep the calm in his voice, while grabbing his left arm to try and pull him back.

Kaito clicked with his tongue with annoyance. "Sorry guys, but I really need to go. I'll be back soon, th-"

"What?!" the Osakan shouted, cutting him off and slowly stepping closer. "You're in no shape to be moving around, you ahou! Already forgot what happened just an hour ago, after you saw a fish?!"

The magician winced at the forbidden word, but it was Shinichi who spoke first. "Kuroba, he is right. You might collapse as soon as you leave the house." He didn't say that, he doubted Kaito could make it to the bottom of the stairs, because the idiot could have taken it for a challenge and turn out more determined to do it. "And besides, even if you do somehow manage to avoid that, the poison might become active again and kill you. You need to stay hooked to the drip."

That stopped the thief to reconsider. But apparently not what they wanted him to, as he turned his gaze towards the IV, the gears in his head nearly visibly turning seeking a way to solve the issue.

Heiji's eyebrow twitched with annoyance. "You're not disguising the IV to be something else, ahou."

Kaito smirked at him. "Why not~? It would be actually pretty easy, all I need is-"

The Osakan growled with anger, cutting him off efficiently. "Not the point here! Just get back to bed before we knock you out, will you?!"

The magician sighed, dropping the amusement. "Listen, I get it that you guys are worried and I'm really grateful for all the help and I would gladly stay, if I could. But the thing is that I really need to go. I'm sorry, but it can't wait. I promise I'll be back soon."

"What is it about, Kuroba?" Shinichi asked calmly again and internally sighed in relief when the kaitou sat back on the bed, rubbing his eyelids. He was apparently feeling dizzy already.

"It's…" Kaito clicked with his tongue, clearly not willing to admit to what caused the alarm.

Before he decided to continue, the door burst open again and Hakuba rushed in, his gaze instantly snapping towards the magician and the Osakan, clearly blocking him off from the entrance.

"What's going on here? Kuroba, your heart rate is peaking up again. You should be lying down."

The kaitou rolled his eyes. "And you should do something about your bed-hair and clothes." He pointed out, noticing that his classmate apparently only got up. "Seriously, I've never seen you so-"

"Kuroba. Hakuba's appearance is of no importance here…" Conan reminded him, holding back the urge to either groan at the sudden shift, as if Saguru couldn't come in a few moments later!

Kaito blinked at him and tilted his head, astonishment evident on his expression. "I'm starting to understand why people get so annoyed when I interrupt them… Fascinating~!"

"Kuroba!" The three detectives growled at him in unison.

"Alright, alright!" he groaned with his arms raised. "Jeez... you guys are definitely too tense. But seriously Hakuba, you do look probably worse than I do. Go back to sleep, there's nothing to see here anyway."

"Yeah? Why don't you listen to your own advice, Kuroba?" Heiji poked the magician on his chest to push him back on the pillows.

Kaito tried to smack away his hand, but missed. "Would love to, really, but I can't right now. You know what they say: 'with being a kaitou comes great responsibility,' or something like that."

"It's 'with great power', Kuroba. And I feel the need to remind you that you don't have any powers. Aside from causing headaches to everybody around you..." Hakuba grumbled, pressing his eyelids.

"Hey~ You have to admit that it is an awesome power~" Kaito jested, but sighed, seeing their flat looks.

He closed his eyes for a moment again and pressed his eyelids. Shinichi used this opportunity to gently push him back on the pillows. The kaitou growled with annoyance, but didn't resist this time.

"Come on…" he complained and pushed away the blanket, which Conan was trying to cover him up with. "I'll be back in two hours tops and I'm not planning anything dangerous, exciting or physically demanding. Promise."

"Kuroba... You can't move around yet." Saguru reminded him softly. "What is it about? Maybe we can do it for you?"

Shinichi noticed out of the corner of his eye the door move and he thought he saw a small hand retreat from it. Apparently Haibara was also alarmed, but for now decided to leave it for them to handle.

Kaito grimaced, clearly not willing to take the offer. "It's about my birds. I need to take care of them. They'll be wary, if it's somebody else..." he trailed off and turned his attention to the detectives, who were exchanging worried glances. "What? Something happened to them?" the magician demanded, highly alarmed and tried to get up again, but Heiji didn't let him and kept him laying down.

"Calm down, it's nothing like that. As far as we know, they are fine." The Osakan explained, trying to ease his worry.

"It's just that Aoko-kun is taking care of them. Remember? You apparently asked this of her yourself, before leaving." Saguru reminded him with careful tone, wondering if perhaps his memory got damaged after all.

The kaitou sighed with unhidden relief. "Jeez! Don't scare me like that! Gods... I know Aoko is taking care of my doves at my house, but why do you believe that a kaitou would be keeping all of his birds in his house?" The recognition and bewilderment on their expressions were apparently enough for him. "Yeah, exactly. I keep a few in my bolt hole."

Well… crap. This at least explained why he was so stubborn on doing it himself. Shinichi grimaced, wondering how to convince him to give up on the idea.

Heiji clicked his tongue. "Kuroba, I know this may sound cruel to you, but you really can't leave the bed for now. I don't know..." He drove a hand through his hair in a nervous gesture. "Maybe in two or three days it'll be most or less safe for you to go for a short walk? Can't they hold on for so long maybe? I know it's not perfect, but..." He trailed off noticing Kaito shaking his head slowly.

"Not quite the point here. They can freely get out of the place and since it's summer, I don't think they would have much trouble seeking out food, if such a need came. At least enough to survive, until I returned. And that's the real problem here. You see…" He huffed, trailing off for a moment. They didn't try to rush him, understanding that he considered this his trade secret, thus his reluctance. "They are the ones that keep me safe, ok? I send them out before each heist to scout the area for snipers, carrying cameras and trackers. But I didn't get to take off their equipment after the last one. They are trained to return to the nest, even without the signal after around two hours, so I'm not worried about that. But it's impossible for them to take their equipment off by themselves, so they are currently stuck with it. Which is not only inconvenient for them, but a bit eye-catching to see. And the worst is that pigeons are birds that are mainly active during the day." He added with a grimace.

He didn't have to add what it meant. When the birds got hungry, they would fly out during daytime and possibly attract attention to what they were carrying. Then, when they returned back to the nest they could lead unwanted visitors to the kaitou's lair.

"Oh... crap. Don't you, I don't know, have them trained to not fly out with their equipment on?" Heiji asked slightly distressed.

Saguru shook his head with worry. "They're just birds, Hattori. Training can only lengthen the time of how long they will stay obedient, when facing hunger. It's about survival after all. Even if they were able to understand the threat, they still have to eat and drink. Especially that they have no way of knowing when their master will be back."

"So how long do you think we have?" Shinichi asked soberly, eyeing both Hakuba and Kuroba for answer.

Kaito shrugged. "For all I can say they can fly off in an hour, tomorrow, or yesterday. The sooner I get to them the better."

Meaning this could be dangerous already, as the detectives realized grimly.

"But you can't. Kuroba, I understand that you don't want us to know where your safe-house is, but..." Hakuba trailed off, seeing that his classmate shook his head again.

"You're missing the point again. Unlike my doves at home, those birds are not used to other people. Even if I told you where it is, they won't let you guys catch them and take their equipment off." He grimaced and added after a moment. "I guess I could take you with me, if that would make you feel better? So you can make sure that I won't collapse, or anything?"

Saguru sighed. "Kuroba, it's not about us feeling better. Your body might not be able to take such strain. I told you already, you should be only eating and sleeping. You're already obviously getting tired from this conversation." He pointed out and the kaitou turned away with annoyance.

"And what if I wear your suit?" Heiji suggested. "I mean, we have roughly the same build, so it shouldn't look to awkward on me. And you are a master of disguise, so your birds are probably used to you wearing another face, right?"

The magician raised an eyebrow at him and smirked, already catching on the possibility. "Oho~? Admit it, you just want an excuse to wear the suit~"

"Wh- Ahou! I'm trying to help you out here! Jeez, be serious, will you?" Hattori snapped at him, thrown off from the topic, and huffed. "Anyway, who would want to wear something tasteless as that anyway?"

Kaito glared at him. "I'd say roughly half of Japan and who knows how many people all around the world."

Shinichi sweat dropped and tried to calm them down. "Yeah, yeah, you've got plenty of fans, we get it. It's all a matter of taste, but don't argue now guys, we're in a hurry, right?"

The two teens turned their glares at the boy and Saguru sighed rubbing the bridge of his nose, trying to maintain calm. "Kuroba. Do you think Hattori's plan might work?"

The kaitou glanced at the Brit and hummed, displeased. "Well... I guess it could, if he manages to stay quiet and do the commands right." Kaito admitted reluctantly. "But you guys are still forgetting something else. I don't use keys, when I don't have to. Stopped using my home keys years before I donned the cape. So to get inside, you need to pick the lock and I can't teach you how to do it fast enough."

"Somehow it doesn't surprise me really…" Hakuba muttered with a sigh.

"But it does explain where he got his practice from~" Conan replied with dry amusement.

The Brit grimaced and shot a bemused gaze at his classmate. "Oh, you don't want to know where else he got the practice…" Kaito grinned to that.

"Whatever. Either way, it's not like your hands are very steady now either, you know." Heiji pointed out with a wry face.

The magician rolled his eyes. "Oh come on… I've been picking locks since I was five and there's literally no lock I can't open. I've already proven it. Besides, this one is not very difficult to begin with. Normally, I could open it with my eyes closed and holding the picklock in my teeth~ There's another trick to keep the place safe, that doesn't require precision to disable. I can manage it, even as I'm now. At most, it'll take me just a bit more time than usual. No biggie."

"If you say it's not difficult, then most likely I can manage it as well." Shinichi replied with a shrug. "I wouldn't call myself a professional, but dad taught me the basis of picking locks."

Kaito snorted, resigned and closed his eyes, not bothering to hide how tired he was. "Is there anything your dad didn't teach you~?"

The boy smirked at him. "Could ask you the same~"

"So? Will you let us do it for you?" Saguru asked, returning to the matter at hand.

Kuroba clicked with his tongue and grimaced, opening his eyes and focusing them on the empty cup in his hands, as if searching in it for another solution.

Conan sighed. "We won't try to make you, so it's up to you. But we're not letting you go by yourself either. It's too dangerous for you."

The magician huffed, clearly displeased. "Yeah, yeah… I know. It's just that. Eh… Bring me my stuff, will you?" He rolled his eyes, seeing the wary glances. "Come on, I'm not planning to use it to escape you. I'm not in shape for that anyway."

"Yeah, you're not." Heiji agreed pointedly and turned to the door. "Alright, I'll fetch it."

"So where is that safe house of yours?" Shinichi asked with interest

"Turn on a digital map, will you? Would be easiest if I just showed it to you."

Saguru turned on his phone. "Which district?"

"It's an apartment building in Minato." Kaito took the offered device and hesitated for a moment. "Just... try to keep your noses out of people's business there, alright? And for your own good, don't poke around my place. I'll tell you how to disable the traps, so you won't have to worry about those, but it's still not a place where I admit guests. Some of my equipment isn't very safe when you don't know how to handle it. I can even promise show you around when I'm back on my feet, if you want to. So just don't touch anything you don't have to, alright?"

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "Come on, we're not kids, you know."

"No, you're detectives and that's probably worse~" He corrected him with a smirk.

The two sleuths snorted at that, but didn't try to defy the logic, acknowledging that it was just a way for him to distract himself again. "Fine, we didn't intend to search your place anyway." Conan replied with a smirk of his own and Kaito marked the right building, slumping on the pillows afterwards.

* * *

 

Just as the two detectives were checking out the address and the easiest way to get there, Heiji returned with the folded suit and some things gathered on top of it along with the hat. He placed the stack on the bed next to the magician.

"I left the glider parts, but besides that, here's everything. What are you looking for?" The Osakan asked, taking away the cup, as Kaito focused on the suit.

"Thanks." His trembling fingers reached for the familiar fabric, noticing that the shirt was freshly washed, but not the suit itself. He put the shirt away and carted through the rest of the pile, seeking out what he needed. "I need to give you guys a few things and as for the rest of it, there's no point for you to carry it around." He took a thin coil of wire and set of picklocks out of the hat, before folding the headwear with a light tap on it and placing it on the shirt. "You can borrow them, if you need Tantei-kun." He added absently, sliding the tools to Conan and putting the wire away and reached back to the suit. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the tiny detective picked up the picklocks and looked through them curiously, before hiding them in his pocket.

He was pleasantly surprised to notice that his gadgets weren't misplaced, which meant that even if his detectives played with his stuff, they had the decency to put it back in place. Unfortunately, nearly immediately he noticed the lack of a particular bulge in the chest pocket, indicating the lack of the jewel he stole. He sighed internally. Well, that was only to be expected of, but it still was somewhat disappointing that his efforts were wasted. Especially with how much he had to pay for it. So in the end he would have to travel to Germany? Oh well… He found his monocle and placed it on his nose, carefully trying to turn it on. He wasn't sure if it would work, concerning the distance, but the weather was nice, so there was a chance. He spoke airily, while trying to force his fingers to work accordingly.

"I see you already returned the 'Dresden Green'?"

"Yeah, we sent it back along with a note saying that you're not dead. The inspector was worried and sent out quite the team to search for you, or your body."

Kaito snorted with amusement. "Yeah~ Nakamori-keibu does have a soft spot for KID, no matter what he says~"

"True." Shinichi smirked, noticing the small signs of disappointment on the magician's face. "Of course we checked the gem for the red glow in the moonlight before returning it."

The monocle fell out of his grip, as he turned his shocked gaze at the detectives. "Uh-oh... And here I hoped that I only hallucinated about telling you that..." he grumbled and picked the eyepiece back up.

"Nope~ And we will want to talk more about this, but not now." Kaito hummed in reluctant agreement, grateful that he had the time to think what in particular he would tell them. "What are you doing now anyway?"

"Well, I'm trying to... Ah~ Here we go~" The monocle on his face gleamed, as if reflecting moonlight, the magician sighed with relief. "Seems like all three are all in the safe house."

"So the monocle shows you the video feed from the cameras?" Saguru asked curiously.

"Yeah." Kaito mumbled a reply and took off the monocle and the detectives noticed that it was transparent again, before taking out a small monitor device from his jacket.

"Huh?" The boy picked the eyepiece back up and turned it in his fingers. "It turns off automatically?"

The kaitou smirked. "A safety precaution against people who might try to shoot it off my face, while I'm using it~" he explained with a smirk, eyeing the boy, so it was obvious who among others he had in mind.

Shinichi had the decency to make an abashed expression. He set down the monocle and reached to the magician, who was struggling to turn on the device and gently took it from his shaking hands.

"What do I need to do with it?" he asked softly, as if it was natural.

The kaitou grimaced, annoyed with his own inability. "Push the switch on top right and middle bottom simultaneously to turn it on. What? I need to avoid having it turning on and off by itself, while I do my stunts," he explained seeing the disbelieving stare from the tiny detective. "Alright, now press the red button under the lid. This way, you'll send my birds a signal to stand by. It should buy you at least an hour. And they'll be expecting me, so they should be less suspicious." He hummed, wondering if he should share this information with them, but figured it would be best. "You might want to take it with you. For the trackers those three are carrying now, the range is about 5 km. So in case you won't be able to find all of them, this will help. Turn this dial to narrow the range. They will be displayed on channel one."

Shinichi gave a nod and looked back at the device in his hands, curiously turning another dial to switch the channels. There was a total of five. "What are others for?"

Kaito internally rolled his eyes on the detective's curiosity. He kind of expected to get more questions than he really wanted to answer. Not that there was any point in hiding that now, so he explained while busing himself with picking out things out of the suit again. "They read signals from my spy doves~ But those are turned off right now… Ah, got it." He took out a business card from a florist in Shinjuku and handed it to Conan. "On the front door between the handle and the lock you'll notice a small gap, push this in this side first." He tapped on the paper. "You should be able to fit it 3/4 in. It will disable to traps in the adjacent rooms upon unlocking the door." Among other things, he took out a handful of steel marbles and smirked putting them aside. He turned his gaze towards Heiji. "Alright, I don't think you should encounter any surprises while putting it on now~" He explained, folding the suit on the hat and shirt.

Slightly impressed by the sheer amount, Hattori looked at the bundle sitting next to the magician. "You sure know how to pack stuff~ But do you really need all this?"

Kuroba picked up a small firecracker and snorted. "In my line of work, anything can come in handy, you know~" He put the item away and turned his attention back to the detectives, but his sight was blurry. He clenched his eyelids shut and shook his head, before looking back at them with better focus. "Well anyway… When you get to the building, you need to go to the top floor. You'll find three doors there, two of which should be blocked. The one that interests you is on the right of the staircase. There's nothing of particular interest in the main room, you'll have the kitchen on the left and the bathroom on the right. That area will be safe, even if you don't disable the traps, since it only serves as a passage. Anyway, head straight for the kitchen. If the traps are on you'll see red light blinking on the fridge. If that happens, leave the apartment, make sure you've placed the card in the gap as deep as possible this time and open the lock again. If you've done it right, the light will be off." He made a slight pause and sighed. He really hated revealing his favorite safe house like this. "The passage is in the cupboard in the corner, just take out what's inside and press the rear wall. It'll click and open. Further on, you'll find the room with the birds, so only Tantei-han in the suit can come in, at least until they'll recognize you as me." He turned his attention to Heiji. "I doubt you can coo convincingly and they won't believe you're me if you screw up the more complicated commands, so the easiest way for you to lure them will be to just clap your hand, spread your arms and snap your fingers. It's a signal for all three to come and hide in my clothes. So, if everything goes as planned, they will take off and head towards you. Just stand there and wait for them to settle in. Might feel strange, but don't worry, they know what they're doing and they won't hurt you."

"I thought you said that you have to do a trick after you snap your fingers~" Hattori pointed out with a smirk.

Kaito grinned at him. "Oh~ I can assure you that when Kaitou KID snaps his fingers, tricks happen whether you want it or not~" He winked. "Just don't get startled. My girls are used to seeing me confident. Think you can keep the act~?"

The Osakan eyed him warningly, not sure what he meant by that, but apparently trusting that the magician wouldn't be crazy enough to pull a prank on himself. "Yeah, sure."

"Good~ Well anyway, I'm not sure how would they react when you pluck them out of your suit with somebody else present. They shouldn't freak out, but just to be on safe side, it would be better, if you could unburden them by yourself. If you figure that you can't, then close the windows first, so that they won't escape outside, before letting anyone else in. There is a lever on the left from the entrance, just pull it down to close the windows and then back up to open. Just don't use it if any of the birds is on the sill. You could startle them, as I don't usually close the window and I don't want you to hurt them." He made a pause to close his eyes briefly and shake his head and they waited patiently. The conversation was taking its toll on him and he was feeling dizzy, but had to make sure they wouldn't mess up. "To take out a pigeon safely, you have to grab her over her wings and hold firmly. Obviously, don't squeeze too hard, but remember that they are not too fragile either. Then you can turn her around, feet up, to take off the camera and tracking device. They won't protest, unless you take too long, so try to be brief. They might have some abrasions from wearing the equipment so long, but unless it'll be swollen bad or have open wounds you can ignore it and just let her out. If you do spot injuries..." He trailed off, worried about the possibility, before continuing. "There's a desk at the window. I keep only bird stuff in it, so don't worry about setting anything off. You'll find a white and small container with chamomile smelling ointment in a top drawer, just apply it, if you will. They don't like it very much, so keep a firm hold on them because they'll do their best to wiggle out."

"Don't worry, they'll be fine. We'll make sure of it." Shinichi assured him softly.

The magician smiled at him. "Thanks. Anyway, after you're done with all three, just take out a bag of seeds from the locker and leave it open on the desk. They'll help themselves to it. You could pour them some water as well from a bottle near the desk. You'll find a bowl in the kitchen. Unfortunately, I don't have running water there."

"Huh? Shouldn't we put it in their feeders instead?" Heiji asked surprised.

Kaito snorted. "Well, you can try if you want to, but first of all, they are not spacious enough to hold enough grain, since I usually fill it daily. And second, they are pretty high up. The girls won't mind helping themselves from the bag, so unless you just want to play with some acrobatics, don't bother. Anyway, you can leave the trackers and cameras in the desk, before you go. Just make sure to close the cupboard in the kitchen and place everything back inside, just in case."

"Alright, so just to sum it up. There are only three birds there? Just in case they won't fall for the trick and we'll have to try to lock them in." Shinichi asked, pocketing the monitor and card.

"Well, I would prefer it won't come to this, but…" Kuroba hummed, wondering about it and shrugged. "I guess, there should be only three, although sometimes some wild pigeons come for a visit."

"Huh... alright then. Well, I think this is all we needed." Heiji stated and casted a glance at his fellow detectives, who gave him their nods.

"Alright, I'll stay here just in case. Do you want me to call Baaya to give you a lift?" Saguru asked towards the other two.

"Nah, the bus connection seems good enough. We should manage to get there long before an hour passes and we'll attract less attention this way." Shinichi replied with a small smile.

"Wait..." Kaito mumbled surprised. "You're not going with them, Tantei-san?"

Hakuba shook his head, turning his attention back to his classmate. "It doesn't seem like I would be needed there and I might be here."

"I won't... I mean- I am grateful and all, but I don't need anyone looking after me anymore. You are free to go. Besides, aren't you curious?" He added with a fair amount of suspicion.

Heiji snorted. "What got your pride injured~?"

The magician gave him a flat stare, but Saguru cut in before they could get into another squabble. "I am patient enough to wait for the promised tour. Right now I would be just making crowd."

"Fine... But only if you go to sleep as well. Frankly speaking, you look like hell and besides, I don't want you to keep staring at me while I rest."

Shinichi snorted and got off the bed. "Well, we'll leave you to figure it out. I'll give a call to Hakase when we're done, so try to get some rest till then."

"Alright. And thanks again." Kaito replied warmly and glared at Saguru, who approached him and reached to the bundle beside him. "Hakuba. To bed. You're not allowed to play with my toys before you do." He heard the other two snort with amusement, but he didn't turn to them. The door closed with a soft click.

Saguru sighed heavily. "Kuroba, please. You shouldn't play with these either. Besides, you need sleep far more than I do and I just want to make sure that you do sleep."

"Yeah? And you want me to believe that you'll go get some rest yourself, as soon as I close my eyes? Sorry, Tantei-san, I know you too well for that." He sighed. He was really too tired for this. "Jeez, I'm not planning to go after them, you know. And I don't have much to do here with the state I'm in. Besides, they got the monitor, so you can be sure that I didn't give them false directions."

The detective looked away, abashed. "I, uh-"

Kaito snorted. "I get it you don't trust me too much and I can't really blame you for it, but come on-" He didn't get to finish as Saguru cut in.

"It's not it, Kuroba. I- well, I just can't help but to worry for you. Your state was extremely bad just a few hours ago and you needed to be constantly watched over. There were a few close calls…" He admitted reluctantly and looked away.

The brunette rubbed his face. "Look, I get it, I really do. And I am grateful and all, but I already told you that I simply can't get a good rest if somebody is watching me. So, seriously Hakuba, don't take it personally, but unless you intend to drug me again, I really need you to leave me alone. I don't know… Will it make you feel better if you examine me again?"

The blonde winced at that and mumbled. "Right, you did mention something like that… Alright, just let me go get my stethoscope."

"Sure." Kaito shrugged and started taking off his shirt, while the Brit left the room.

* * *

 

Despite his dizziness, the kaitou was more focused on his classmate this time around during the examination and he noticed something curious. He was putting his shirt back on, after Hakuba finished, when he spoke.

"Funny, I never took you for being gay~" He teased, carefully watching the detective's reaction.

"What?!" Saguru nearly choked on his tongue. "What on Earth gave you that idea? I'm not gay!"

Kaito snorted. "Well the way you were staring at my bare chest kind of supplied me with it~ Don't even try to explain it by the examination. I didn't get shot or anything to justify such intense observations~" He added with a smirk, cutting Hakuba off.

The Brit looked away with an abashed expression. "Sorry, it wasn't my intention just…" He wavered and the magician didn't rush him, curious of what it was all about. "It's just that you don't have any scars and I can't stop wondering how come."

Uh, oh… that. His Poker Face firmly covering for the worry inside, Kaito just shrugged, perfectly indifferent. "Sorry to disappoint you? Apparently I'm better than you believed~" He offered with a smirk.

Saguru gave him an annoyed glare. "Seriously, Kuroba. I understand if you don't want to talk about it and I had no intention of asking about it. But please don't try to treat me as an idiot. Aside from any injuries during your childhood, which undoubtedly you had to suffer from to gain the skills you have now, there were a few incidents I know you had for sure. And there is no way you wouldn't end up with a few scars from them."

For a change, the kaitou didn't try to hide his grimace. He was tired, but he didn't intend to offend his classmate. He was silent for a moment, wondering if he could say it. He smirked. "Sorry. I just figured that there wasn't a chance you would believe me, if I told you the truth. And sadly this was the best I could come up with now."

Hakuba's posture relaxed as he eyed the thief curiously. "Try me?"

Kaito huffed with amusement. "Alright. I have a…" He trailed off, searching for a way to describe Akako.

"Friend?" Saguru supplied helpfully.

"Acquaintance." He corrected with a smirk. "Who apparently is an adept magic user." The blonde's eyebrow raised, but he didn't say anything, listening with full interest. "Sometimes they help me, sometimes they go against me, going as far as trying to kill me. It's really hard to tell what to expect from them next. Anyway, after my last accident, they eventually decided to fix me up and ended up with a better result than expected." He added with a shrug.

Hakuba stayed silent for a while, the cogs in his head nearly visibly turning. Kuroba started slowly dozing off when his voice brought him back to attention. "And by magic user, you mean..?"

"Well, magic – hocus, pocus and puff." He waved his hands in the air. "Things happen that are not tricks. Flying on brooms, mind controlling people, things bursting in flames and so on."

Saguru looked at him with disbelief. "Flying on broom..? That one heist…"

Kaito grinned, internally worried, if he didn't tip the detective too much. "Yep~ Just as a side note, I didn't ask them for help that time."

The Brit shook his head. "You're just riddling me now, aren't you?"

The magician snorted. "Like I said, I don't expect you to believe me~ So? Is that all?" He tried to focus his tired gaze on his classmate, clearly displaying his fatigue.

Hakuba looked back at Kuroba and got up from the chair. "Yes. Sorry to have bothered you for so long. If anything happens-"

Kaito rolled his eyes and cut in. "It won't. Just let me sleep. And fulfill your promise to go lie down yourself."

Saguru sighed. "Alright them… Rest well, Kuroba." He said and walked towards the door.

"Yeah you too… And Hakuba? Don't try to break your mind over this~" he added with a smirk and sunk into the pillows, closing his eyes.

A moment later he heard the door close with a soft click and he allowed himself to drift off to sleep.


	35. Where the doves rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The birds need to be unburdened and the kaitou has to rely on his detectives to do it for him. Will they be able to hold back their curiosity and not snoop around too much?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay~! The new chapter is finally here – as always corrected by my lovely beta – madelita~!
> 
> I know, I know… you guys hate me now and I fully deserve it. I would like to explain myself with a lot of things that have been happening and distracting me from writing, but I don't think I should. All in all, 2016 was a bad year for me and my writing, I really hope this year will be far better, because I really want to continue this story and see where It will take us~

With the suit in Heiji's backpack, the two detectives left the house. But they didn't get far when the Osakan decided to break the comfortable silence between them.

"So? What was it really all about?"

Conan raised an eyebrow at his friend. "And by 'it,' you mean..?"

Hattori shot him a bemused glare, clearly showing that he wasn't buying his act. "I mean you squealing like a kiddy and jumping all over Kuroba."

"Oh... That..." he mumbled, trying to buy some time.

"Yeah, that. So~?" The tanned detective leaned over his friend with a smug expression. "Or would you prefer me to ask Kuroba about the details~?"

Shinichi failed to hide his grimace. He was pretty sure that the magician would hold his end of their silent agreement and avoid telling Hattori what happened back then. The problem was that knowing him, he would make the situation even more awkward than the truth would. The detective didn't even want to start wondering what he could come up with. The boy sighed internally, holding back the urge to rub his temples. Hakuba was right... Kuroba definitely had a power to invoke headaches.

Heiji smirked and raised an eyebrow, showing that he had no intention of backing out. Conan would even risk a bet that he was fully aware of what was going though in his head. Sometimes having detective friends seemed far less appealing than usual. He sighed heavily, coming to the only reasonable solution.

"Jeez, there's not much to say. I decided to follow your twisted logic about distracting him from the whole fishy situation. Somehow it ended up with him squealing with my voice and annoying the hell out of me, so I tried to shut him up." He placed a hand over his heart and continued with a mocking tone: "I solemnly promise to think twice before following your lead again. Happy now?" he added with an annoyed glare.

The Osakan narrowed his eyes and hummed thoughtfully, straightening up, while Shinichi mentally crossed his fingers. "Not buying it. Might be true, but it's not the full story, is it?"

Conan felt his eyebrow twitch, but remained silent. A stray thought crossed his mind, whether he was just as annoying to Ran at times.

"You wouldn't have avoided explaining if that was all to it. Besides!" Heiji added, cutting off Shinichi who was opening his mouth to argue. "You were a bit too desperate to keep him from squealing and it didn't sound like anything humiliating. So my guess is that you knew what was coming. Meaning he was recreating a scene he witnessed~ And you didn't want him to finish it." He grinned at his shrunken friend. "It must have been some kind of a humiliating scene you don't want others, namely me, to know about. And since it was some kind of a kiddy act, my guess is that it had to have been somehow related to Neechan~ I doubt he would make fun if it was related to a case," he added, waving the possibility off.

Kudo could obviously deny that claim, but not only he didn't want to lie, he was also sure that Hattori wouldn't let it go unless he managed to produce something more reasonable. He sighed again, dropping his shoulders. "Yeah, yeah... great deduction," he grumbled, not bothering to hide his displeasure.

"Huh? You're not going to reward me with telling me the story?" Heiji pouted.

Conan gave him a flat glare. "No. Leave it."

"Come on! I promise I won't laugh?" he asked with a huge grin on his face.

Shinichi's stare was as unimpressed as it could get. "Like I would believe you."

Heiji laughed at that and tried poking his friend to get the answer a couple more times, leaving it be only when they finally got on the bus.

* * *

To be fully honest, Shinichi didn't think about this before, because too much was happening. But now, when they were already off the bus and walking towards their destination, he got a little worried that KID could have given them a false address, intending to get rid of the two detectives and give Hakuba a slip. It would be a simple task for him, even in his current state. Unfortunately, all he could do was hope that wasn't the case, as he and Hattori were already approaching the apartment building.

Heiji, who apparently had no such suspicions, huffed with annoyance when they noticed that the lift inside was out of order. "Jeez… Don't tell me that idiot intended to climb all way using the stairs? It's ten stories high!" he grumbled as they made their way up. "It's obviously been out of order for some time now. 'Not gonna overstrain myself' my ass…" he continued ranting, while his shrunken friend remained silent.

Conan couldn't help but wonder the thief really overlooked this detail, or simply had no idea about it, since he has never been there before. He put his hands in his pockets and his fingers brushed the cell phone inside, as the detective wondered whether he should give Hakuba a call, just in case. With a heavy sigh he retracted his hands, rejecting the idea. Kuroba had more than enough time if he wanted to make his escape and there was a chance that he didn't, and instead managed to convince Saguru to get some rest. Gods only knew how much he needed it. Also… After seeing Kaito's earnest expression when he said that he would repay them for saving his life, Shinichi had a feeling that he wouldn't be lying to them. At least not about serious matters. Obviously he would still play little tricks on them. It would probably mean that the world was ending, if he ever stopped doing that. Conan snorted with amusement and noticed that Hattori was observing him with a raised eyebrow. He shook his head, indicating that it wasn't anything important. The Osakan just shrugged in response and continued climbing the stairs.

"Anyway, why don't you check that monitor Kuroba gave you?" Heiji asked and Shinichi looked at him with surprise. "You know, check if the birds are inside? Don't know about you, but I'm not looking forward to running up and down the stairs just to chase them back, unless we have no other choice."

Shinichi wanted to slap himself on the face. How could he have overlooked that? Apparently Hakuba wasn't the only one lacking sleep. "Right…" he mumbled already reaching for his inner pocket. It was extremely doubtful that the thief would have predicted this outcome beforehand and planted the trackers before getting poisoned in a place he has never been before. Meaning, if the signal did show this place…

He turned it on, as Kaito instructed him and the monitor reviled three red dots near their location. It didn't show altitude of the trackers, but they could easily guess that the birds were most likely inside the apartment they were headed for. Conan smirked at his friend.

"Seems we're in luck. Unless of course your acting skills will turn out to be not enough to fool even bird-brains."

Hattori glared at him with annoyance.

* * *

When they finally got to the top floor, they noticed that there were three apartment doors, two of which were blocked with wooden planks. Heiji made his way up the stairs to check door to the roof, while Conan walked towards the only available door.

It looked damaged by time and neglect. The locks looked old as well, nothing indicating frequent usage. Shinichi gave a closer look to the crack between the handle and the lock. Only then he noticed that it might be something more than just a simple chink in the wood. The detective turned around to glance his friend, who in the meantime got back on the floor and was keeping watch at the staircase, to make sure nobody would witness his lock picking attempt. With a heavy sigh, Conan pushed the card into the crack and took out the thief's tools. He convinced himself that it was fine since they were invited, but it still felt odd to use this skill to break into an apartment.

It took Shinichi far longer than he expected to get the lock to open, but finally, after several minutes, it gave out the anticipated click. The detective smiled with satisfaction and internally promised himself to practice a bit more in the future. After all, however prohibited normally, this was a useful skill to have. He pushed the door handle and turned to beckon to Hattori to follow him, but the Osakan was already walking over, so he just stepped inside instead.

Truthfully speaking, they had no idea what to expect from Kaitou KID's hideout. Obviously enough, the interior should have been nondescript, to not give any suspicions to anyone who would stumble on the place by accident. But somehow both of the detectives expected the place to reflect the cheerful nature of its owner. However, the room they entered was grim and shabby. They paused at the genkan, unsure whether to take off their shoes, since the floor didn't seem to have seen a broom in a long time to say the least. There wasn't any shoe-stand or a closet where they could search for slippers. The whole place didn't really look abandoned, but, just like the door, definitely neglected. They looked at each other, feeling a bit lost, and silently agreed to leave their footwear on. Hopefully the hidden part of the apartment would be more inviting.

In this part, there was a short hallway with a single door leading to the right - Hattori took a peek inside and as expected, it was a tiny bathroom. The hall led to a room, furnished only with a bed and a wide closet. The large wardrobe divided the kitchen annex from the sleeping space. The bed was sitting right in front of the entrance and under the only really eye-catching thing - a very spacious window. It was foggy with dirt, not really showing anything outside, or rather, as the detectives deduced, not allowing anyone from the outside to look inside. Shinichi was tempted to check behind the bed, if there was a parachute, glider or at least a rope, making the window into an easy escape path, but decided it could wait for now. Instead, he walked over to the kitchen area. He located the refrigerator and thankfully didn't notice any light, since he didn't feel like closing and opening the front door with the lock picks again. He took a peek inside, just to make sure that there wasn't any electric malfunction that could have caused this. He definitely didn't want for either of them to trigger the safety mechanisms installed by Kuroba, whatever they were. Inside the fridge, he noticed a convenience store plastic bag with take-out food and an apple. He winced involuntarily, easily imagining that this was more or less how the magician's diet looked like for the last month. He closed the fridge and cast a glance at Hattori, who had the same disturbed expression. Without commenting, they proceeded to the broom closet and opened it.

Heiji snorted while reaching into it. "Come to think of it, he overdid it with this."

Shinichi raised an eyebrow at him. "Hm? What do you mean?"

"Just take a look of this place." The Osakan made a wide gesture. "You'd really expect the owner to even bother buying a broom?"

Shinichi snorted. "You know, some people do that hoping it will motivate them, or at least give them an option to try and clean up."

"True." Hattori took out the broom and smirked shoving Conan his hand. "But this thing was recently used as well. Even the brush is not coated with dust the way it should be, if were it to be left alone~"

The boy chuckled. "Well you can tell him how badly he screwed up when we get back~" he offered and stepped into the empty closet, gently pressing its back.

"I just might~" Heiji replied with a smile, watching the back wall pop back, opening a narrow corridor, closed on the other side. "Alright, guess its cosplay time," he added, taking off his backpack.

"Yeah, good luck with it~" Shinichi teased with a smirk, earning himself a flat glare. "Call out, if you need help."

"Don't count on it," the Osakan retorted, already taking off his shirt.

"If you say so~" he said while retreating to the 'living' area.

Having nothing better to do in the meantime, the shrunken detective decided to look around a little bit. He was slightly worried that somebody else might have come before them, but he doubted he could notice even if they did. Hopefully KID's safety precautions would have caught any unwanted guests. So instead, he decided to give in to his curiosity a bit, while waiting for Hattori to finish. He wanted to see what he could deduce about Kuroba's recent activities from this place.

* * *

After putting the suit on, Heiji was surprised to notice that despite the looks of it, it was rather comfortable to wear. The shoes were very flexible and even the cape didn't get in his way as much as he expected it to. Doing stunts in it would still feel awkward, but it should prove to be possible to do it without ripping the fabric apart.

He turned around, assessing his outfit, before stepping around the wardrobe to show himself to his friend, while staying away from the window light - just in case.

He spread his arms and grinned. "So~? How do I look~?"

Conan turned to him with interest. "You forgot the gloves. But besides that and the dark skin..?" He smirked. "I'd say I'm itching to try and hit you with a ball~"

Heiji twitched while putting on the gloves. "Don't even think about it..." he groaned recalling the last time he got hit and flexed his fingers to fit the hand wear better. Kaito's fingers were apparently longer, so it didn't fit too well. Thankfully the fabric was flexible, so it shouldn't get damaged. "Jeez... a few seconds in the uniform and I feel like I already understand Kuroba's wariness around you better."

Shinichi chuckled and grinned, spreading his arms. "Magic~"

"Yeah~" The Osakan chuckled back, making an energetic turn, so that the cape would swirl elegantly after him and tipped his hat. "I'll be off then~" He had to admit that it was kind of fun.

The shrunken detective rolled his eye on this act. "Just don't get too carried away. I will hit you with the ball, if you'll try to cover me with glitter or do anything else like that," he warned him with amusement.

As much as Heiji would've loved to fool around a bit more, he couldn't really waste too much time and risk the birds taking the flight outside. So instead, he just waved back at his friend, and without further delay, he walked towards the narrow passage.

As he entered the next room, he was surprised to see how high it was. The place wasn't overly spacious, with more or less 40 square meters surface, but it seemed to be 2 stories high. Heiji hummed quietly to himself, noticing the unfinished edges halfway up the wall, showing where the floor of the upper level previously was. He assumed that this place was connected to the outhouse on the roof. The room didn't have much furniture and looked more like some sort of a gym than anything else. As Kaito said, there was a desk, not that far away from where Heiji was, standing by the wall on the right, with a big, probably around 3 gallon water bottle sitting by it. Aside from that, there was some gymnastic equipment – balls in various sizes, weights, handrails, lines and poles hanged far enough from each other that it would be near impossible to jump from one to another. The wall was covered with more and less convenient cracks and handles as well. The detective noticed that in several places the beams supporting the ceiling were slightly damaged and he wondered whether it was because some of the loops broke off, or if they were made by Kaito practicing swinging with his grappling hook.

Heiji noted that the doorway from the corridor was walled up. He looked around where the entrance from the rooftop was, to see if it was similarly secured, when his attention was caught by quiet cooing. Immediately he recalled why he was there, and following the sound, he focused on the few birds that were looking back at him from a window sill. Kuroba was right that it was high up. The apartment part didn't actually have any windows and the only ones were a part of the outhouse. He held back an urge to swallow under the piercing gaze of the birds, who seemed to be judging him. He ridiculed himself for starting to worry whether they wouldn't see through the disguise. He snorted and smirked. Mentally crossing his fingers, he did how Kaito instructed him to, clapping his hands, spreading them and snapping the fingers, in what he hoped to be a fluent move. Heiji barely held back from twitching as several things happened afterwards.

As the birds took flight, suddenly dynamic music started playing from speakers located apparently all around the room. Heiji huffed to calm himself down, figuring that it was most likely the clap that triggered it. Bemused, he only wondered, if it was actually really a part of the signal for the birds, or did Kuroba just want to mess with him. Meanwhile, seven birds were circling around the room, while three more were still sitting on the window sill, observing everything from safe distance. The detective was surprised to notice that neither of them was white, as he expected earlier. It made it difficult to tell which ones were actually Kaito's, but that was most likely the point. Hopefully the right ones would obey and land on his outstretched hands, which he tried to hold as still as possible. He didn't manage to hold back a twitch however when suddenly three of the birds started simultaneously, well… getting rid of their smelly load.

"Talk about nasty…" he grumbled quietly to himself and stilled, as the three started descending towards him.

Instinctively he reached out to the closest one, offering it his hand as a landing spot. The pigeon gracefully took the invitation, while other two helped themselves to his shoulders. A bird on his right one pecked him on the cheek without hesitance and Heiji bit back an urge to wince, recalling how Aya-chan did the same on Kudo and the magician called it a kiss. The pigeon on his left shoulder meanwhile stroked its head over his cheek. Involuntary he smiled softly, acknowledging how much the birds must have missed their master. Carefully he moved his hand with the third pigeon closer to himself and although he expected it, the trio surprised him with how swiftly they moved from their spots and wiggled their way underneath his clothes.

It proved to be difficult to stay still as the birds tickled him, while settling themselves into positions. He sighed with relief when they finally stopped and reached for one of the feathery hitchhikers. The pigeon thankfully didn't try to resist and only cooed with what it sounded like surprise, as he took it out.

"It's alright, I'll just take it off, ok?" he mumbled, before recalling that he wasn't supposed to talk to the pigeons.

Thankfully it didn't seem to mind, as it only cooed back and patiently waited for Heiji to relief it from its burden. After he managed to take the camera off, he looked closer at the bird's leg. It seemed to be a little bruised, but it didn't look serious. The pigeon finally started wiggling a bit, so he loosened his grip to allow it to turn around. After it did, it crawled onto his shoulder and puffed its feathers, seeming content to be there.

Heiji couldn't help himself and snorted, scratching its head gently, while smiling at it. The bird seemed pleased with it, as it cooed happily back. Next he wanted to reach for another dove, but something caught his attention. He noticed one of what he assumed was a stray pigeon, sitting on the desk and arranging its feathers. The poor thing had a plastic loop of sorts around its neck, most likely a disposed can holder. The Osakan wasn't sure if it would allow him to help it, but figured it was worth a shot.

"Hey there, little guy," he said softly, while slowly walking towards the desk. It obviously could see him, in the flashy white suit and all, so it was useless to try and sneak up to it anyway. "I'm not gonna hurt you, you know. Just wanna take off that neckl- what ouch! Stop that!" he groaned at the pigeon seated on his shoulder, which picked that moment to peck his earlobe.

Having his attention, the bird cooed angrily, clearly wanting something. Too bad Heiji had no clue what it could be. He clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Look, I just want to help your friend there, ok?" Hattori looked at the bird on the desk, which tilted its head curiously and got a painful peck on the cheek for his effort. "Oi! Quit it! Oh, no no no…" he mumbled in distress, noticing that the birds still tucked under his clothes were getting restless. He gently patted them through the fabric and otherwise froze, hoping that this would please his assaulter enough to cease the attack and calm down the two remaining pigeons.

His eyebrow twitched. Great. Now he was reduced to pleasing a bird-brain. His only consolation was that there was nobody else to witness this. Thankfully it seemed to work, as the pigeon gave one last coo and puffed its feathers, still stubbornly clinging to Heiji's shoulder. Somehow it looked like it was now pissed. The Osakan eyed the wild bird and decided to try and take care of it later, proceeding instead on taking out next one out of his clothes.

From that point it went rather smoothly. Unsurprisingly, the pigeons were apparently used to this kind of treatment and didn't object to his slightly clumsy attempts. Heiji worried a bit over the leg of the last bird, as it was swollen significantly. However, it didn't seem to be broken and there weren't any visible cuts. More so, the pigeon didn't seem to have any trouble standing on it, so he decided to leave it be. Being done with his primary task, he decided to attempt helping the wild one again. Unfortunately the other two seemed to share the first bird's opinion... whatever it was. Annoyed, he tried to shoo them off of himself, but they clung to him stubbornly, so he had to give up.

Having no other choice, Heiji decided to call for assistance. "Oi, Kudo! Come here, will you?" After all, it didn't matter anymore if those three would get spooked by a newcomer.

"I'm here, what's up?" the boy replied, carefully passing though the closet. "The birds giving you a hard time~?"

The three pigeons cooed with surprise and clenched their tiny claws tighter on Heiji's clothes. The detective scratched head of one of them, to calm it down and it cooed with content. Funny, somehow they didn't seem all that scared, more like uncertain. Seeing its friend getting scratched, another dove pressed its head into Heiji's cheek, as if demanding attention as well. "Already done with that. But these guys don't want to let me help that other one." He pointed with his head towards the desk.

"Maybe they want you to play with, or feed them?" Conan shrugged, looking at the wild pigeon with the plastic loop on its neck.

"Well, I can't feed them, if I don't go over to the desk. And they don't want me to." He took a step towards the said piece of furniture and got a peck on the ear for his effort. "Ouch! See..?" He poked carefully the bird that pecked him on the beak. It got angry and retaliated. "And it's not like I have any idea how to play with them…"

Shinichi snorted with amusement and moved towards the wild pigeon. "Alright, alright, I'll see what I can do. What's with the music anyway?"

Heiji was tending to the needy birds when the offhand question distracted him and he stopped, receiving disappointed coos and pokes in return. "Ah that, I think it's clap triggered. Started when I tried signaling the doves to come." He clapped his hands again, expecting for the tunes to stop.

That didn't happen. Instead he got hit a few times by the pigeons' wings as they hurryingly took flight and headed towards the window sill. Unfortunately their sudden take off spooked other birds, including the one on the desk and caused them to follow to higher ground as well.

Shinichi clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Nice work, Hattori."

"Oi, it's not like I could have known," he grumbled back, staring at the birds above and assessing a path to them.

He probably was able to get there, but he was pretty sure that it would only spook away the wild pigeon.

"Maybe I should try calling those three back? The wild one might fly down again..." he mumbled.

"Or it'll decide to leave, since this place has gotten restless. Better try bringing out the food. With some luck, it's hungry and will come down by itself. I'll go bring the bowl for water," Conan replied after one last curious glance over the interior and turned around towards the passage.

Hattori made an acknowledging sound and walked over to the desk to find the grain and some container for it. While opening a shelf, he wondered how Kuroba used to act with wild pigeons and if that tame trio wasn't stray before. Heiji didn't have much knowledge about birds, but those didn't look very special, like some breeds tended to.

He found the grain bag easily and as soon as he took it out, despite the music he heard the birds restlessly tapping with their tiny claws against the window sill above. He looked up and noticed that the three he helped before were now walking back and forth, seemingly unsure what to do. He wondered if they were expecting some kind of signal from him... Crap. Well, hopefully they would come down without it. He ducked over the desk again searching, but it didn't seem like there was any container for the grain. Kuroba did tell them to just leave the bag open, but there was a lot of food and it wouldn't do any good, if the birds got only access to the upper layer and most likely ended up wasting the rest.

"What are you looking for?" Conan asked, placing a plastic bowl on the desk and assessing the huge (for his size) water bottle. He sighed with annoyance. "Could you fill this up?" There was no way he could pick up and handle something weighting nearly as much as he did.

"Actually, was there another bowl like this?"

"Yeah, why?"

Heiji shrugged. "Just figured it would be a better idea to take the grain out of the bag and give the birds better access to it."

"Good point, but you fetch it. It's on the upper shelf and I'm not struggling second time to get one."

Heiji held back a snort. He was feeling sorry for his friend, even more so since they've learned that it might be permanent, but at the same time he couldn't help feeling amused by some of the situations. Instead, without comment he placed the grain bag on the floor to make filling the bowl with it easier for the shrunken boy. "Yeah sure~" he replied and headed towards the exit.

He did hear urgent coos from the window sill, so he cast the birds a glance and waved at them, before turning back towards the passage. He was about to step into the closet, when he heard the wings beating and felt the tiny claws scrapping his clothes. He barely managed to stop as the three birds swooped to hide underneath the suit.

"Oi, oi, what the..?"

"Maybe they thought you were beckoning to them, when you waved?" Conan wondered out loud as he stepped closer his friend, watching the pigeons disappear with interest.

"Yeah, well, great," Heiji grumbled, turning back to the room and picking out first of the doves. He poked its beak gently. "Don't follow me, get it?" The bird tried to peck his finger back.

Hattori sighed and threw the pigeon into the air to make it fly off, before reaching for another. The bird however apparently had a different idea, as it turned around and landed on the Osakan's shoulder, cooing with what sounded like grudge.

Shinichi snorted with amusement. "Alright, I'll go get the bowl, you figure this out~"

"Thanks... Jeez, what is it that you want? You have your food there!" he asked the pigeons, as he took out the third one, wondering what he was expected to do.

Conan poked his head out of the passage for a moment. "Oh, but don't clap again, will you? The wild one might leave if you do." He smirked, hearing Heiji groan at that.

Hattori had to admit he was tempted to shoo them away by clapping, especially as one of them started pecking him on the cheek again, apparently urging him to do... something. Annoyed, he snatched the persistent bird off his shoulder.

"Jeez! What do you want?" The pigeon cooed back as if trying to answer him. Heiji glared at it, not understanding a thing. "Alright, enough is enough..." He let go of the bird and took off the hat and monocle. "I'm not your master, see?" he said to the dove on his palm and cast glances on the other two on his shoulders.

The pigeon on his palm cooed questioningly, glanced at his face, then into the hat and back on his face again. Heiji was hoping that it was beginning to understand, when the bird jumped off his hand and onto the brim of the hat, looked back at him and jumped into the hat, cooing again, as if asking whether that was what he wanted. The detective wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or groan, so instead he turned to face the wall and pressed his forehead to it.

"Maybe they want you to cuddle them?" He heard Shinichi offer from behind his back.

Hattori shifted a little to glare at his friend, in case he was mocking him again. Not that he could blame him if he did. Normally he would have found it funny himself, at least if it wasn't so ridiculous and annoying.

However Conan wasn't laughing and just shrugged. "I mean, Kuroba usually does seem to be close with his birds and it is obvious that they are precious to him. I have no idea how affectionate pigeons can get, but Aya-chan did show some attachment. It is possible that they were also worried about their master, since he broke the routine and didn't tend to them after the heist."

Heiji had to admit that it did make sense, especially with how jealous the birds acted when he wanted to take care of the wild one and how demanding they felt when he did pet them absently. He wasn't quite sure how to do it, to make it comfortable for the pigeons, so he had to improvise. He took the pigeon out of the hat and loosely curled his arms around it. The other two reacted to this and moved to his forearms, cuddling back to him. Apparently this was more or less what they wanted. Although it did make Heiji feel rather awkward, forcing a small blush out of him, thankfully hidden under his lowered bangs.

"I'm gonna give an earful to Kuroba for not mentioning this..." he grumbled softly to not startle the birds.

Shinichi was busy filling one bowl with the grain and just snorted at the comment. He tried not staring at his friend as to not make him feel more awkward, but just a glance was enough to give him a heartwarming feeling. It also made him wonder how much Kaito missed this. Instead of commenting however, he decided to take a look around, leaving the filled bowl alone to encourage the wild pigeons to come down and eat. The place seemed too small for Kuroba to conduct a full rehearsal before a heist, or really break a sweat through training. He imagined that this was probably where the magician could barely practice skills he wouldn't want others to see him doing, or just, well... literally hang around.

Earlier, as he surveyed the 'living' part of the apartment, he was surprised to notice that the bed didn't seem to be used lately. Unlike the window, which he was sure was frequently opened. As expected, he also found a rope strapped to the bed and neatly hidden behind it. But he did wonder where Kaito had slept for the past month.

Looking around the place his attention was drawn to a foam mat and a folded blanket next to it. Surely it could be treated as a makeshift bed, but the detective wasn't sure why wouldn't the thief use an actual one instead. Pushing the thought away for later, he continued with his superficial survey.

As expected, all of the equipment seemed well maintained and frequently used. The detective found himself getting curious to see how exactly the magician used all of it in his training, especially having a vague idea of what KID was capable of.

After a little while, he turned around to see whether the wild pigeons took the bait and he wasn't disappointed. He noticed also that somewhere in between Heiji decided to sit down on the floor and was still tending to the three birds. It was actually a cute sight. He moved his gaze back to the wild doves and started slowly approaching them, after noticing the one with junk around his neck. As he stepped closer, a few birds turned to glance at him, but didn't seem worried about his proximity. Appeased by it, he closed in on the one he intended to grab. The pigeon seemed a bit uneasy about it and inched away, but thankfully was more interested in the food than the human, so after a few moments of waiting for it to calm down Conan was able to put his hand on the bird and press it to the desk. It clearly didn't like it and tried to break free, flapping its wings and wiggling away, making it hard to grab the piece of plastic. But somehow he did manage that, just a moment before the pigeon slipped from under the detective's grasp and flew away. As it sat on the window sill, it puffed its feathers and started vigorously arranging and cleaning them. Shinichi snorted with amusement seeing it.

"Nice job~"

Conan turned around just in time to see one of the tamed pigeon land next to the grain bowl and start eating. Heiji already got up and with another bird on his head was making his way towards his friend.

"Thanks~ So you're finished as well?"

"More or less, I think." He shrugged. "Seems that they are a bit less needy now, so hopefully they won't freak out again when I'll try to leave. I'm just unsure what to do with the music…"

Conan winced at that. "Yeah, well I didn't notice any controls around here and it would be better, if you didn't try agitating the birds anymore with snapping your fingers again. Maybe it will turn off by itself when we close the room?"

"Worth a shot, I guess…" Hattori replied and raised his hand.

He offered it to the bird on his head and after it jumped on his palm, he moved it towards the desk. Obediently, it hopped off and joined its friend at the meal. The third one seemed to have dozed off on Heiji's shoulder. He gently stroked its feathers to wake it up, but it didn't seem to want to move towards the offered hand. The Osakan clicked his tongue and poked it carefully, urging to move. Reluctantly, it finally did and moved on to the desk, but instead of eating, it just puffed its feathers and continued dozing. Hattori snorted and filled the other bowl with water.

"They are kind of cute, when they don't try to act like little terrorists~" he admitted, seeing one of them start drinking the offered water. The dove looked back at him and cooed questioningly, so he scratched its head gently.

Shinichi snorted. "You want to adopt them~?"

Heiji chuckled back. "Nah~ But I do get why Kuroba is so fond of them~" he replied, already walking towards the passage with his friend.

"Yeah~ By the way... It might be better if you didn't complain about it to him when we get back." The Osakan raised an eyebrow at him as they walked out of the cupboard and closed its back. "I mean about him not telling you to caress the birds. He obviously felt bad about forgetting about them altogether, so I imagine it could have simply slipped his mind to mention this. Or he could have felt too awkward to say anything about it. You did make fun of his phobia beforehand after all..."

"Oi, give me a break. I already apologized for it..." Hattori complained while detaching the cape from his shoulders.

"I know, and I'm pretty sure he forgave you already, but the damage's been done. It wouldn't be strange if he wanted to be more careful about what he slips around you. Especially now, when he is vulnerable like this."

The Osakan sighed, changing the shirt. "Yeah, guess you have a point there."

* * *

Thankfully the music seemed to stop, as Conan predicted, when they closed the back of the closet, so they didn't have to worry about leaving it playing.

Before leaving, Hattori went to the toilet, leaving Shinichi to his musings about what he found in the apartment. As expected he didn't get too much information, especially since he didn't know how the place usually looked like. Mostly he only managed to confirm what he suspected before they even came in. Recently the place was used, but only for short amounts of time at once. There were signs of frequent rush of the owner, which he doubted was planted there intentionally. He didn't really hope to find any clues to what exactly kept the magician occupied and unfortunately he didn't. Too bad. He didn't really want to question Kaito too much about it, but it didn't seem as if there was any other way. However, because of the fish incident, he decided to leave the talk for another day. Hattori would be in Tokyo until Thursday, which left them enough time to meet again and hopefully then Kuroba wouldn't be struggling anymore with the anxiety-invoking side effects of the poison mixture.

He was thinking about everything they deduced already about Kaito and his past, when he heard Heiji speak up with perplexed tone. "Oi, Kudo? You might want to come here..."

"What is it-?" he cut himself off, opening the door and gapped at the sight before him. "What did you do, Hattori..?" he groaned with annoyance, pointing at the back of the shower, which was apparently a hidden doorway – now cracked open, showing a dark space behind it...

"Nothing! I just saw that the shower knob seemed to be lowered, so I wanted to check if it wasn't getting loose..." he trailed off seeing the glare Shinichi was giving him. "Oh come on! It's his own fault for leaving it like this! But I do wonder what is inside..." he added, looking into the darkness.

"Oi, oi, Hattori! He warned us not to snoop around too much, or else we might set something off!"

"Yeah, I know that. And I don't intend to rummage the place, you know. But the security is off, right? It won't hurt if we just take a look around. Don't tell me you're not curious," he added with a sly smirk.

Conan clicked his tongue. There was no arguing there. He was extremely curious, especially that this seemed like a place where Kuroba might be keeping his more interesting things. And who knew? They might end up finding the Crimson Dagger. He definitely would feel better, if they could give it back already. Sighing in defeat, he turned on his watch-flashlight and glared at his friend.

"Alright, but don't touch anything in there. If we set anything off, I will blame you for it!" he warned Heiji, but smirked at the grin his friend responded with.

The thing they noticed first was how thick the walls of this room were. Even the floor was a bit higher than in the other parts. It didn't seem that there were any windows here either. Just as Shinichi was slowly looking around with his light beam, the lights turned on.

"Hattori!" he hissed with annoyance, looking back and noticing his friend with his hand on the light switch. "Do I have to spell it out to you? Don't touch anything!"

"Relax, we only have to look out not to mess with any equipment... And it seems there is a lot to watch out for here..." he mumbled in awe, taking in the sight before him.

Conan turned around to take a look at what Heiji meant. The place definitely looked far less friendly than the previous two rooms. It was about the same size as the one with the pigeons, although it was regular height. There were a few closets there and desk with a computer. But most of the area looked a bit like a shooting range. However, instead of the target it was the guns that were attached to contraptions on rails, allowing them to move around the room, both vertically and horizontally. All of them were pointing at one place with a semicircle painted on the floor. The wall behind it was chipped a lot, clearly damaged by the projectiles. Heiji whistled through his teeth.

"No wonder the room is soundproofed... Look, even the door is thickened," he said, while grabbing onto the door handle and taking a closer look at it. "Well, I guess it was only to be expected that he does have to train this as well..." he added grimly, clearly not liking the evidence of Kuroba facing life threatening situations on his heists.

"Yeah..." Shinichi mumbled, walking over to one of the guns to take a closer look at the contraption it was hooked on.

There were a total of ten of them, plus what looked like a sniper's rifle under the ceiling on the other side of the room. Additionally, there were what seemed boards behind each of the guns. Shinichi was pretty sure to see shooting targets painted on them, allowing the magician to practice dodging and shooting back at the same time, but it didn't seem to be the case. The detective froze noticing a life-sized picture of a man in a dark hat and fedora coat looking back at him. He didn't know the man, but the outfit did remind him of Gin and Vodka. He swallowed and checked the other boards, taking care not to walk before any gun barrel, or step behind the line of the shooting range, since he was unsure whether this wouldn't trigger it. Each board had a different person, but in the same getup.

"Oi, oi... You think these are the guys after Kuroba?" Hattori asked, as he walked over and noticed the pictures. "How did he get such pictures, anyway?"

Shinichi shrugged, taking out his phone to make photos of the faces. "They're too detailed to be from surveillance cameras, I think. My guess is that it's all Kuroba in different disguises, but I wouldn't put it past him, if those were the actual members of the Organization after him."

"Are these the same guys who got you in this state?"

"Not sure, could be. I don't recognize any of the faces here, but Haibara might... I could also try and look through the police files with Hakuba later on, to see if we can find any of these guys there."

Hattori made a confirming noise. "He probably uses these to get himself motivated to train, huh?" he mumbled and narrowed his eyes at what seemed like another board stuffed behind a closet.

"That, or he just wants to get used to seeing them, so he won't get overwhelmed by any emotions, in case they pop out before him. These pictures are quite detailed and different, meaning he either had a closer look at them already, or just played with his skills." Shinichi reasoned and grimaced. "But I don't know... somehow it doesn't feel like it was just him having fun in his free time."

Meanwhile Heiji approached the closet carefully and after confirming that the board didn't seem to be attached to anything, he took it out slowly.

"Oi, Kudo, take a look at this..." he said grimly.

"What do you have there-?" Conan paused noticing that the picture in Heiji's hands was crossed out.

"What do you think this means?"

Shinichi took a picture of the man with horseshoe mustache. "If I had to guess, I'd say that the guy got eliminated... One way or another."

"Oi, oi... you don't mean to say that Kuroba would-" Hattori spoke with shock, apparently ready to defend the magician, but Conan cut him off, shaking his head.

"I didn't mean him. I've already witnessed the Organization getting rid of their own, or at least attempt to. Kuroba could have gotten him caught by the police without knowing it, or this guy's higher ups could have gotten pissed with him." He shrugged, already going through a few possible scenarios and narrowed his eyes at the face. "But he does seem familiar. I think I saw his photo somewhere before..."

Heiji hummed, taking one last glance over the face on the picture, before putting it away. His gaze lingered on a small white tube, knocked over on a shelf next to a closet door. He walked over and took a peek inside, noticing bandages, ointments and some pill containers inside. He moved his gaze towards the shooting range, figuring that the magician could get hurt easily during training like this. He didn't like the thought however.

Shinichi walked over to the other side of the room. As he passed the closets arranged on the sides, he wondered what they held inside, but didn't dare to open either of them. While it was very probable that the Crimson Dagger was hidden somewhere there, it was most likely that this was the place where KID held his more hazardous equipment. He stopped at the back, near the computer, noticing that the monitor turned to face a green painted wall. He smirked noticing a small camera over the monitor, pointing at the chair and the wall.

"Think I found the hotel room in Vegas~" he said, glancing towards Hattori, who walked over and smirked as well.

"So it was actually a recoded background instead of a prepared one?"

"I guess it is less troublesome, if he knows how to do it. I'm actually surprised that he never recorded a heist notice with this."

"Who knows? Maybe he's planning on making one~"

Conan snorted at that. "Yeah, maybe. Anyway, let's get going. I don't think it's safe to search this place anyway."

"Yeah, don't think so either." Heiji grimaced. "Also, this place gives me the creeps..."

The shrunken sleuth made a confirming noise. "I know what you mean..."

It's not like they regretted finding the second hidden room. On the contrary, it gave them something specific to investigate and something which could help Shinichi figure out, whether he and KID were against the same group. And the detectives somehow doubted Kuroba would be willing to show it to them, at least not very soon. But on the other hand, it always made them grim to see so clearly that the magician was not only risking his life each time he went on a heist. He was also fully aware of it and did it anyway, for over two and a half years now.

They secured the hidden entrance, making sure that it didn't look off anymore and left the apartment with grim moods, locking it up. However they weren't allowed to keep on musing about their findings, since soon after they left the building, they heard a familiar scream and rushed to help, already expecting to see yet another corpse.

* * *

Kaito woke up, suddenly aware of presence in the room he was sleeping in. If he were honest, it was getting somewhat annoying, especially since he wasn't used to being disturbed like that while sleeping (excluding Aoko shouting her lungs out occasionally of course, but he didn't feel like it counted). At least this time he wasn't as confused and knew where he was right away. This is why he didn't bother to act asleep and slowly opened his eyes, focusing his gaze on the curtains, slowly swaying in the wind. The light seeping through the window had a reddish, warm tint to it, so he figured that it was already evening. He stretched a bit and turned his head, only to be surprised seeing the shrunken scientist instead of one of his detectives, as he expected.

He cleared his throat quietly. "Good evening Ojou-san~" he greeted her with a charming smile.

She glanced at him, apparently annoyed for some reason. "Good evening, KID-san. Sorry for waking you up, but I need to take a blood sample from you."

He made a confirming noise at the back of his throat. He didn't really feel comfortable with having his samples taken from him (his inner-kaitou screaming 'evidence!'), but he ignored it. It's not like it mattered anymore anyway. So instead he pulled himself up, forcing himself not to wince from pain and turned his arm towards her, while Haibara focused on her equipment she was busy laying on the side of the bed.

"I'm sorry for making you feel uncomfortable at your own house," he said gently, causing her to look up at him finally.

"What do you mean by that?" She frowned before looking down at his arm, putting a rubber band above the elbow.

"It appears to me, that you don't like me very much, Ojou-san." He held back a wince as she pulled the band a little too tight.

"You're just annoying me with the way you're calling me, KID-san," she replied with a glare and turned back to his elbow, before she patted the vein to make it stand out before she could take the sample.

"Oh, alright. How would you like me to call you then? By the way, feel free to use my name as well, when I'm out of the uniform. I'm quite sure the detectives managed to already slip it more than once~" He smirked at her and grunted as she pricked the needle in a bit too hard.

"You can drop this act as well. And call me whatever you want. I just don't like being treated condescendingly."

Kaito had to admit that she was getting on his nerves. He smiled sweetly at her and chirped. "Alright, Ai-chan~"

She glared at him again and he responded with an innocent grin. Haibara rolled her eyes and took the needle out, pressing a cotton ball in its place to prevent the bleeding. She was about to say something when a rose came into her view. Surprised, she raised her gaze at him.

"Where did you get that? You weren't supposed to leave this room, or move around, you know!" she warned him angrily.

"And I didn't. Honest!" He added seeing her heavy glare and sighed, placing a hand over his heart. "Thief's honor~" he offered with a smirk.

"Like that could convince me..."

He pouted. "That's rude you know," he pointed out. "I tend to keep my word."

She looked away, abashed by his scolding. He turned the flower between his fingers, realizing that she apparently had yet to figure out how to act around him. He held back a smirk. Well hopefully he could help her with that.

"Sorry, I guess. But where did you get the flower then?" she demanded, looking suspiciously at the said plant.

Kaito grinned at her. "What can I say~? Flowers tend to sprout out, when there's a woman in need of one~ I am but a humble messenger~"

She glared at him, clearly unimpressed. "I think I've told you that I don't want any special treatment. And I don't need a flower."

"Nonsense~! Every woman needs a flower, even if she doesn't want to admit it~ And this is how I tend to treat every woman. I would be giving you special treatment if I acted differently~" he added with a wink and presented her the rose again, with a brilliant smile.

It wasn't quite true, since he treated his female classmates differently, especially Aoko, but he supposed that didn't count here really.

She looked away, hiding a slight blush and took the flower. "Whatever. Thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome~"

She sighed gathering her things. "Oh, by the way. You might want to know that Kudo-kun and the other won't be coming today anymore. Apparently they stumbled on a case on their way back."

Kaito didn't bother to hold back a groan, as he sunk into the pillows. "These guys are impossible... Please just tell me they didn't end up dropping a corpse in my hideout..?"

Ai snorted with amusement, sharing his view. "Can't argue with that~ But don't worry, apparently they managed to leave the building, before tripping over a corpse."

He rubbed his eyes and grumbled. "This has to be some kind of a curse. I just wonder what god they pissed off and how..."

"For the sake of my sanity, I'd rather not know." She picked up the small tray. "I'll leave you then-"

"Haibara?" he cut her off, with suddenly sincere tone and held back a snort. With all the laughing he had with Hakuba, he was still unable to call her 'Haibara-san' after all. And that distraction was enough to make him change his mind. He smiled softly at her instead of asking what he wanted. "Just don't forget to put the flower in the water, alright~?"

The girl paused, regarding him. She opened her mouth, only to change her mind and close it again. "'Ai' is fine, Kuroba. And don't worry about the flower. Rest well," she added, already stepping out.

"You too," he called after her and covered his face with his palms with a heavy sigh.

He wondered what came over him. For a brief moment there, he felt the urge to open up a little to the former criminal, so she could advise him what he was supposed to do with the detectives. But the truth was that he didn't have the right to ask her about her personal affairs and reasons.

Besides, their situations were different. He looked at his hand and, to his annoyance, noticed that it still wasn't as steady as he wished it to be. Kaito didn't study Sherry's past too much, but since she was in the same state as Tantei-kun, she clearly got herself driven to a corner. She turned into a child and was on the run, with nowhere to go. Like it or not, she had to rely on others, no matter what predicament it put them in. Kaito had the whole world to run off to, if such a need came. As long as there was a crowd to blend in, he was fully self-sufficient. Right..? But somehow, deep down he yearned to just be selfish this time and take the easy way out, allowing the detectives to help him. He forced the thought away and leaned into the pillows, covering his face with his still shivering hand. Right now he was uncomfortably feeling vulnerable and dependent on others. He clenched his jaw, hating the feeling and doing his best to suck it up.

* * *

After a few moments, when he was pretty sure he was truly alone and he managed to chase the demons away, he licked his lips and let out a series of whistles. He heard wings flapping and tiny claws scraping the window sill. A small, white head soon poked out from between the curtains and the dove cooed at him. He smiled back at it and held out his hand. The bird took the invitation and flew to him, softly landing on his fingers. He pulled it near and cuddled gently, kissing its head.

"Thanks for the delivery, Haru-chan~ It actually turned out to be useful, you know~ But now you should go back home. It's getting late."

He gently poked her beak and she poked his finger back, before cuddling to his neck again. He chuckled at this. He missed her as well and her presence was soothing for him. It was pure coincidence she found him earlier that day and he was grateful for it. Kaito figured that she was feeling bored and headed out to seek Hakuba out, as he sometimes had her do and instead found him, sleeping in this room. She started rumbling over the closed window, until she woke him up and he opened it for her. Although he was very groggy, he was happy to see her. Would have probably been happier, if she obeyed after the meeting and let him sleep, instead of fetching things, he sometimes had her bring him. It took him a while to explain her that he needed rest. Now he had to somehow convince her to leave him and go home. After all, it wasn't safe for such a small dove to stay out of the aviary at night.

He let her cuddle a little more, before picking her up on his finger, so she would face him. "Haru-chan. Go to the nest. Sleep until morning, alright?" The dove cooed something quietly and turned away, so he made her face him again. "Haru-chan. Home. Go."

He tossed her gently to the air to make a point, giving out a short whistle and was glad to see her obey and fly towards the window. She poked her head again, as if to make sure he meant it, so he repeated the order. She disappeared behind the curtain for the last time.

Kaito closed his eyes, feeling a little dizzy and started counting to twenty, before starting a series calling whistles again. This time there was no response and Haru-chan didn't return. He smirked with self-satisfaction, pretty sure that she would visit him again, but for the night she was safe at least. He reached to the nightstand and carefully took the glass with water to drink some before trying to catch some more sleep, before Hakuba came over. Properly distracted and relieved from his mental burden, he smirked to himself and wondered how should he make the Brit regret not sleeping through the night~


	36. Calm before the storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a few days have passed, the detectives are finally able to meet again in order to ask Kaito a few questions. If only it was that easy…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I admit – I enjoy writing the boys teasing each other too much, so it's hard for me to get to the point xD This is why this chapter ended up (again) far longer than it should be… Oh well xD
> 
> Unfortunately with the little time I have – and a trip abroad I have to make to my sister, I decided to divide the chapter in two, so I would be able to post sooner. I'm flying off today and will return home in April. Most likely will end up too busy to write the moment I get back, so to not leave you for too long without a chapter – take this part and treat it like prelude? :) Worry not, however – this chapter is by no means short and shouldn't leave you without anything to mull over ;)

It was early Wednesday afternoon when Conan and Heiji managed to get some free time without the girls and strolled over to Agasa's. They didn't feel good with the thought that they were forced to leave Hakuba, Professor and Haibara alone to tend to the recovering magician, but there wasn't much they could have done about it. Thankfully, Kuroba was cooperative enough to undergo the treatment, but knowing him, he was still bound to have been a handful.

When they reached their destination, Shinichi didn't bother knocking and just opened the door, calling out their greetings with Heiji. However, they didn't expect to hear a reply only from Kaito. They quickly discarded their shoes and followed the voice. They rushed into the kitchen only to notice Kuroba, dressed in a shirt and sweatpants, balancing the IV on his head, while busying himself with cooking. He grinned at them happily and waved with a spatula, as he noticed them rush into his view. A brief glance around the place told them that there wasn't anyone else in sight. With a heavy sigh, Shinichi stuffed his hands in the pockets and strolled over to the counter. Heiji on the other hand glared at the magician, who in the meantime managed to focus back on what he was doing. The tanned teen charged over and slammed his fist next to the stove, getting only a brief glance from Kaito, who otherwise seemed to be ignoring him and instead spun the spatula in his hand and drove his other palm over it - changing it into a spoon skillfully as ever, without them actually noticing how he made the switch.

"What do you think you're doing, you ahou?" Hattori growled at the kaitou, while Conan calmly climbed on a high chair next to the counter.

Kaito spared the detective another brief glance, before turning back to the frying pan. "Lunch. Seriously Tantei-han, I thought your deductive skills were better than that~" he added with a sly smirk and poured a bit of sauce into his own waiting palm.

"Ahou!" The Osakan snapped with annoyance, pointing at the magician's head, while Kaito kept on ignoring him and popped out a saucer, which he apparently had hidden previously in his hand, taking a sip from it. "I was talking about the IV! It doesn't work unless you hang it!"

That at least caught Kuroba's interest, as he looked back at Hattori only to look upwards, then snapped his fingers, disappearing the saucer out of sight and reached for the medicine bag on his head, while absently stirring the vegetables on the pan with a spatula (when did he switch it from the spoon again?).

"Huh… It seems you're right…" he mumbled with unhidden surprise and no apparent concern, while looking around for a place he could hang it from.

Heiji muttered something under his breath, but Shinichi chose that moment to cut in. "Anyway, where's Hakuba?" he asked curiously. It was more than a little unusual for the Brit to leave his classmate running around freely with the IV on his head. This was especially suspicious since they agreed to come over today and he didn't notify either of his fellow detectives about his absence.

Kaito shrugged, casting one last glance at the hanged medicine bag, hanging now off the cupboard handle, and apparently pleased with the result, returned his attention back to the meal he was preparing. "He left a while ago, but I think he should be back soon," he explained, as if it wasn't anything strange.

Having said that, the magician curled the fingers of his free hand to a fist and blew at it, before moving it with a broad move over the pan and besprinkling the meal with something, most likely salt by the looks of it.

"Huh?" Well, that was odd, Shinichi thought, frowning, without paying much attention to the trick. It might have been possible, but only if there was some dire emergency involved. Which he doubted was the case here. Meaning… Kudo clicked his tongue and asked with a bemused tone: "What did you do to him..?"

Kuroba made an offended gasp, putting hist fist to his chest. "Why would you think I did anything? You wound me, Tantei-kun~!" He didn't even bother to hide the amusement in his tone and snickered. "No, seriously~ That wasn't my doing. Apparently Baaya called him and asked him to drop by," he explained and blew on his fist again, before repeating the broad movement from before and besprinkled the dish with a dark powder this time – undoubtedly pepper, Shinichi figured absently.

Sure, it was possible that because Hakuba was away for a few days now, Baaya could have indeed wanted him to show himself for whatever the reason. Still, it didn't explain why he didn't at least try to contact either him or Hattori. Could the kaitou have done something to prevent him? But then he would have been even less likely to leave him unsupervised. Meaning Saguru was probably certain that he had in fact contacted his fellow detectives. Kudo narrowed his eyes, solving the trick behind it in the privacy of his mind.

* * *

Meanwhile, Heiji sat on another chair, next to Shinichi's, and was currently closely observing Kaito's hands, as he performed his little tricks. The detective wanted to spot the moment the switches were being made. He obviously figured out how and what, but he just couldn't see it happen, despite the magician repeating it for the third time. He snorted with amusement, muttering quietly, "Show off~"

Kuroba looked back at him, cast a short glance at Kudo, who wasn't paying any attention to them and leaned over the hot frying pan, gesturing the Osakan to come closer. "Psst~"

Not thinking it through, Hattori leaned towards him and wanted to ask what he wanted, but before he could do that, the kaitou brought his fist to his mouth, opened it suddenly and blew at it towards the Osakan's face. Heiji almost fell off the chair and just barely caught Kaito's hand, as the magician reached towards him.

"Crap! Watch it, you ahou!" the detective snapped, pulling himself back upwards with the laughing kaitou's help and let his hand go, when he was steady again. But aside from the external anger, he was mostly just surprised that no spice grains flew into his eyes, as he would've expected.

"Pff~ Sorry, but you were asking for it~" the magician explained shamelessly with a grin and returned to stirring the meal. "And I'm not showing off~ It's called practice!" He swirled the spatula in his hand, tossing it, spinning into the air and caught a spoon, which he pointed at the Osakan. "Although I do admit it is more fun with an audience~" he added with a wink and scooped some sauce, pouring it into his palm and the hidden saucer again.

Heiji snorted, letting go of his brief anger, internally glad seeing that Kaito was acting more like himself again. The teen still didn't look very healthy, with dark bags under his eyes, pale skin and too shallow breaths, but he obviously was doing steady progress with his recovery. When he first saw him at the stove, the Osakan wanted nothing more than just drag him back to bed. But watching him doing his little tricks again, with the carefree air around him made Hattori reconsider it. He didn't seem to be overdoing it and by the looks of it, it did look like he would be soon finished anyway, so it wouldn't do much harm to let him have a little more fun.

* * *

Kuroba smiled, pleased by the taste, after taking a sip from the saucer. "That's better~" he muttered to himself and put away the small plate, looking back at the detectives, while stirring the dish with a spatula. "Anyway, guys, I wanted to thank you for helping me out with my birds," he said with a sincere smile.

"No problem. It was actually a little fun, to be honest," Shinichi replied, glancing at the Osakan with a smirk, who hid his face in his arms, mumbling unintelligibly something that sounded like a vague confirmation. Kudo was pretty sure that the tanned teen was still perplexed by how he had to act with the attention seeking birds.

The magician grinned at Heiji. "Oh, I'm glad to hear that you liked my girls~ Am I right to guess that they liked you back?"

There was something in his tone that made Hattori look up at him and groan in annoyance, realizing what it meant. The guy apparently knew all along how the pigeons would have acted. "Che… you could have given me a heads up, you know," he growled, ducking his face back into his folded arms, refusing to look back at Kuroba. With how tanned his skin was, it was hard to tell, but Conan was pretty sure that the Osakan's ears had a bit of red tint to them.

"I had my faith in you~ I knew you'd figure it out by yourself~ Besides… it would ruin the surprise and I wouldn't get to see this expression on you~!" Kaito admitted with a shameless chuckle.

The Osakan sunk deeper into his arms, hiding his face completely, while grumbling something unflattering about the magician.

Shinichi didn't bother to hide his own amusement, but before he could say something, he was cut off by a merry shout.

"Kaito-kun~!"

The detectives swirled around just in time to see Agasa, cheerfully running in their direction, with a large metal contraption in his hands that was completely obstructing his vision.

Thankfully, he didn't collide with anything (this time) and set his invention down with a huff, while explaining. "You were right about the capacitor, all it needed was-" he cut himself off, noticing the two guests and scratched the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. "Uh-oh, hello Shinichi, Hattori-kun, ha-ha..."

"Ha-ha…" the shrunken teenager echoed him, slightly bemused, while Heiji chuckled in the background. "So you knew Kuroba was here by himself, Hakase?" Truth be told, he did expect the magician to win the old man over fairly easily, but the way the man called the magician was surprising. He never expected it to progress so fast.

Chuckling, Agasa rubbed his cheek, clearly unsure about what he should say. "Well…"

"Maa, don't blame Hakase, Meitantei." Kaito smoothly cut in. "I told him that I was bored with lying around all the time and that he wouldn't be able to force me back there anyway." He smirked at that. "So instead, he opted to check up on me more often than reasonable~" he added with a warm tone and winked at the old man.

The scientist got flustered. "So you noticed..?"

All three boys snorted at that. "Hakase~ I'd be surprised and frankly worried, if you could slip his attention. He does get enough of practice with people trying to catch him at heists, you know~" Shinichi explained with amusement.

Agasa shifted uncomfortably, glancing away from the kaitou. "Um, right…"

The shrunken detective clicked his tongue quietly, displeased with himself for not predicting this. He should have known better, that his old friend would have forgotten that Kaito was in fact an internationally wanted criminal and that he would be still uncomfortable about the fact. He opened his mouth to try and fix the atmosphere, but Kuroba spoke up first.

"Well anyway-" he cut himself off at the sound of bells chiming. "Uh-oh…" he muttered and before anyone could react, he grabbed the edge of the stove as he jumped over it, scooping the hanging IV with his free hand.

"Wha-" Stunned, Heiji got up from his seat and tried to reach out to the magician, who landed before him and pressed the spatula into his hands.

"Take over," Kaito muttered, as he swirled out of the detective's grip with grace and was already breezing up the stairs. Before Shinichi managed to land on the ground from his chair, the magician had all but disappeared from sight.

"H-hey!" Having regained his voice, Hattori called out and stumbled after Kuroba. "Ahou! What the hell are you- Ugh! Kudo what the-" he snapped at his friend who kicked him painfully on the calf, but cut himself off, as he noticed the bemused tiny scientist in her lab coat, raising an eyebrow at him. "Uh-oh… H-hi, Nee-chan~" He greeted her with a sheepish smile, while rubbing his sore leg with his free hand.

"Hey. And what are you guys doing here?" She looked at the frying pan and back to the spatula in Heiji's hand.

"Um… lunch~?" The Osakan offered with a sheepish chuckle under her suspicious glare, after casting a short glance at the cutlery in his hand.

As if it wasn't anything out of the ordinary for the teen to come over and prepare a meal. Shinichi wanted to facepalm, but instead just chuckled sheepishly as well.

"Right…" She agreed, bemused, and glanced at the others, who were doing their best at playing innocent. "You should consider going to the right side of the counter then and…" She sniffed and smirked. "Prevent the dish from burning, maybe?"

Hattori swirled towards the frying pan and cursed. He dashed to the right side of the counter, nearly trampling the professor and vigorously started stirring the vegetables… Scattering most of the contents out of the pan and cursing some more.

Haibara shook her head and turned her attention to Kudo, while Agasa pushed Heiji away and did his best to save the food. "I'd like you to pass to that idiot that I am going to use the needle I showed him before next time."

Conan chuckled with pity, sympathizing with the magician, knowing all too well which one Ai meant, since she had threatened him with it before. "Heh, sure, I'll tell him." There wasn't much point denying the obvious.

He felt his phone weighing in his pocket heavily, as he recalled the photos saved on it. Initially, he intended to ask her about the men on them the first opportunity he got, but now he decided against it. Apparently Kaito's cheerfulness affected Ai as well, as she seemed to be in far better mood than she had been in lately. Shinichi figured it could wait a little more. He had yet to recall what the file he saw the face in was about, but he was pretty certain that it was one that Hakuba showed him. So he decided it would be better to talk to the Brit first, before asking her.

Unaware of his internal struggle, she gave him her devilish smirk and took a bottle of water, before heading back to her laboratory. Shinichi glanced back at Heiji, noticing that he was being scolded by the professor, who apparently intended to teach the Osakan some of the basics of cooking. Deeming it impossible, the shrunken detective just shook his head and decided to check on Kuroba. Walking up the stairs, he fished out his phone and dialed Saguru's number.

_"_ _Hello? Hakuba Saguru here, who is this?"_

Kudo chuckled at the receiver, having his suspicions about what happened more or less confirmed. "Hey, it's me. I was just wondering when you'll be coming back."

 _"_ _Kudo?"_ The confusion in the Brit's tone was apparent. _"Why? Did something happen over there?"_

"Nah, everything's fine. We were just surprised that you didn't say anything about leaving," he explained with amusement.

 _"_ _What..? But we texted…"_ Saguru cut himself off with an annoyed growl.

Shinichi had to hold himself back not to chuckle. "And let me guess, you didn't have this number saved~?"

 _"_ _No… I haven't…"_ He sighed heavily. Conan was pretty sure that the Brit was in middle of pressing his eyelids, like he usually did when Kuroba irritated him. _"I should be back in about 25 minutes, or so."_

The shrunken detective snickered, stopping on the stairs and leaning over a wall. "No rush, take your time. And Hakuba?"

_"_ _Yes..?"_

"Just out of curiosity, was it really Baaya who called you?"

_"_ _Apparently yes and it doesn't seem like Kuroba had any influence on her decision, but I'll ask her to make sure. Just tell me that he is still there… I've been out for over an hour."_

"Don't worry, he's here. Hakase was keeping an eye on him. I doubt he left at all. When we came over, he was busying himself with cooking and from the looks of it, he was doing it for quite a while. Before that, he apparently was sharing ideas with Hakase."

There was a relieved sigh and a quiet chuckle on the other side of the line. _"I can only wonder what will come out of it…"_ The Brit muttered with mild amusement, which Shinichi actually shared. Probably the last thing the world needed was for KID and the crazy professor to invent anything together.

"Yeah~ Anyway, mind if I ask what happened over there that made you leave?"

 _"_ _Not at all. It was just my father wanting to see me. He apparently wanted to make sure that I didn't get too caught up in searching for KID after the last heist,"_ he added with a hint of amusement and Shinichi snorted at the irony. _"Anyway, I'll have to be going now."_

"Sure, and like I said, take your time. We'll look after Kuroba in the meantime."

_"_ _Thank you, Kudo. I'll see you soon."_

"See ya." He disconnected the call and pushed himself off the wall, stepping towards the room Kuroba was staying in.

The room didn't change much, from the last time he was there. There was only an additional chair, by the window, currently occupied by the magician. He had an open book on his lap, making it seem as if he was reading it up until now. Apparently he took Heiji's remark to heart, since the IV was currently hanging above his head, somehow attached to the curtain rod. The detective didn't bother to see how he managed that.

Seeing the shrunken detective close the door behind him without anybody else entering the room with him, Kaito slumped on the chair, hanging his head back and stopped acting as if he was breathing normally. Apparently he had yet to recover from his dash.

"You ok?" Shinichi asked with concern, eyeing the kaitou and the book he was holding. It seemed to be the one he borrowed Hakuba before.

"Yeah, just give me a moment… Man, this is annoying…" he added muttering more to himself, undoubtedly meaning his current limitations.

Conan hummed, acknowledging, and cast a glance at the bed. It would obviously be more comfortable for Kaito to rest on it, so the detective had to wonder why he chose a chair instead. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with it and the bedding was neatly folded. Was the magician so fed up with lying around that he chose the chair, despite that it wouldn't do him any favors in fooling Ai? Shinichi smirked, as this train of thought made him recall something.

"By the way, Haibara asked me to tell you that she will use 'that' needle on you next time~" He might have had some pity for the magician, but it still would be appealing to see his reaction.

Disappointingly, the kaitou merely snorted, waving off the issue. "No, she won't~ Ai-chan said that she would use it only if she ever saw me downstairs. Which I don't think she did~"

Shinichi's eyebrow rose at the way Kaito called the shrunken scientist. He could only wonder if she knew about it… Then again, knowing the cocky thief, she did and more so, he somehow he made her agree to it. It would also explain her lightened mood, if he used his charms and tricks on her.

"That would explain your rush~" He shook his head and eyed the book on Kaito's lap. "Anyway, I don't think the book would have fooled her, you know."

"Oh~?" The magician raised his head a little to glance at the boy with a grin. He picked up the book and waved it. "Want to question me about it~?"

There wasn't much point in doing it. Kuroba could have read it anytime beforehand. Then again it could be a little fun. "Alright, what page are you now on?"

"237."

"What had occurred 10 pages back?"

"Easy~ Anna crossdressed as a man and slipped out to join the conference and see how her discovery faired." Kaito replied with a confident smirk.

"And what was page 56 about?"

The magician hummed and tapped the cover lightly, before grinning and replying. "It was when she and her sisters moved to the countryside~"

Shinichi raised an eyebrow, wondering whether Kaito was making it up and was bluffing, or he actually remembered the whole thing. Knowing him, either was possible. The kaitou grinned at him, silently offering the book. The detective shook his head with a lenient smirk.

"You don't learn, do you? People don't usually remember things like that. It's unnatural when you know answers like that." He grinned, recalling the first time he matched wits with the elusive kaitou. The question of whether Kuroba's answers were correct were starting to nag the detective, but he didn't want to play into his hands so much. Maybe he would check later.

The magician grinned back. "Aaa, I remember~ But right now I'm not disguising as anyone. I'm me and I do remember things like that~"

"Fair, I guess~" Kudo sat on the edge of the bed and asked with a sly smirk. "So? Care to tell me what you had in stock for Hakuba that you switched my number for yours on his phone~?"

"Oh~? Figured it out so soon~?" the kaitou asked with the silky tones, which the detective was more used to hearing during heists. "You certainly are a fun challenge~"

Shinichi snorted. "That was easy, you know. And all it took to confirm it was a short call to Hakuba~" he added with a grin and this time wasn't disappointed to hear Kaito groan at that.

"Now he's not going to let me hear the end of it…"

"Well, you should have thought about it before~"

"I did~" the kaitou admitted shamelessly, "but figured it would be worth it anyway~" He waved a hand, adding, "Also, you can't really blame me for wanting to get a breather from him."

Did that mean that something happened? "Hm? What did he do?"

Kaito raised an eyebrow with an amused expression. "You mean just being 'Hakuba' isn't enough~?" He chuckled and waved a hand. "Nothing much, really. As per usual, he came up with something and decided to be stubborn about it." He explained with an eye roll. "He just doesn't know when to let his delusions go!"

That caught Shinichi's interest. "Huh? Delusions..?" Most likely it was something influenced by Kuroba, so Shinichi hastily rephrased his question. "What did **you** do this time?"

The magician pointed at himself with a hurt expression. "Nothing! I was just being my plain self~"

Which usually was more than enough to make people want to strangle the nervy teen… The detective sometimes had to wonder which one of them looked more like a child.

Kaito rolled his eyes, under the unimpressed glare he was receiving. "Alright, alright. It's nothing big, Hakuba just convinced himself that I was leaving the house when he wasn't looking and didn't believe me denying it."

Shinichi raised an eyebrow. The Brit did worry about that through the phone, but he didn't pay it much attention. "And what made him come to that conclusion?"

The magician shrugged. "His delusions~?" Conan gave him another eyeroll. "And me giving Ai-chan a rose that might have helped him come to this deduction."

Now that wasn't expected. "Where the hell did you get a rose?" He was sure that there weren't any flowers in his suit and Hakuba would have most likely asked Hakase, if he didn't supply Kuroba with it.

Kaito scoffed with a mix of annoyance and amusement. "Detectives…"

Shinichi wanted to reply to this, but Heiji barged into the room, complaining about leaving him to clean up the mess, successfully distracting them from the topic. Conan was less than pleased seeing how surprised KID was to learn that the detectives didn't know how to cook. He was certain that somehow, someday the kaitou was going to exploit it to tease them…

* * *

Before they knew it, there was a bell at the door. Expecting it to be Saguru, Shinichi went down to greet him, leaving Heiji and Kaito to amuse themselves a little more. He was hoping that the Osakan would manage to encourage the magician to get back to bed before he returned with the Brit, but he wasn't betting on it.

After opening the door, he was surprised to see Hakuba carrying a neatly packed present in his hand, which Conan vaguely recognized as his own. It was the gift for Kuroba he left in Hakuba's care nearly a month ago. Somehow now it felt like a life-time ago, with everything that happened in the meantime.

Saguru greeted his shrunken friend back and handled him the parcel. "I noticed it when I got home and figured you might want it back," he answered the silent question and added, grumbling. "Although, I'm not sure whether that idiot deserves any gifts… Where is he anyway?" he asked, casting a curious glance around.

Shinichi snorted and stepped away from the entrance, with the present in his hand, allowing Hakuba to get inside and take off his shoes. "He's resting upstairs with Hattori."

The blonde detective chuckled. "Kuroba resting in Hattori's company? That sounds like an oxymoron~" Despite what he said, his posture did seem to relax a little.

Conan had no arguments there and chuckled back. These two did get along surprisingly well. However, he dropped his smile soon after, as he recognized his chance to speak privately with the Brit. Looking away from Hakuba, who was taking off his shoes, Kudo reached into his pocket to fish out his phone. He started browsing it, tucking the present under his arm.

"I wanted to ask you to take a look at something before we go to them…" he mumbled and tapped on the crossed out picture to enlarge it, before showing it to the blonde. "You know this guy…" There was no need to form it as a question. Not with the stern expression Saguru made.

"It does ring a bell, yes," he replied grimly and took the phone from Shinichi, sliding through other images. "Where did you take these?"

"Hattori found a second secret room in Kuroba's apartment. He had these boards attached to guns he's apparently been using for bullet dodge training," the boy explained with a serious tone, carefully observing Hakuba's expression.

The teen grimaced, in an obvious sign of discomfort. "I wonder how much Kuroba knows about them." He took one last glance at the pictures, before returning the phone to Shinichi, who pocketed it, without dropping his gaze from the other detective. "Only the crossed out one looks familiar. And I believe this guy is one of the men responsible for hunting KID."

There was something about how he said it that made Conan narrow his eyes. "And you don't mean just the current one, do you?" He phrased it like a question, but it didn't feel like one.

Saguru shook his head slowly. "No."

"Why didn't you say about this anything before?" the boy demanded harsher than he intended to.

But apparently the Brit didn't mind, as he just shrugged to it and took a step towards the couch in the living room, replying with a heavy tone. "There wasn't much to say, honestly. As things are, all I know leads to a dead end." He winced at the phrase, making Shinichi think of Toichi and added. "And I've already told you everything that could be of any importance."

Conan didn't comment on it. Hakuba showed him so many files that it was no wonder that he didn't remember details from all of them. Especially given that he had his mind occupied with his own case as well. He just sat on the couch, beside the teen. "Care to remind me what was in the file?"

Saguru took a moment, gathering his thoughts, before coming to a decision and spoke up again. "I believe that the man, with his picture crossed out, was arrested in January this year. Unfortunately the picture in the police files wasn't the best quality, so I can't be sure. But he does look rather discernible. The arrest occurred during a KID heist. Neither of us was present at the scene." He cast a glance at the boy, who gave a little nod in reply. Both of them silently wondered if it was pure coincidence. "From what I've heard, it was actually KID who caught the man. A few officers ran into him, tying the guy up. It wasn't actually said in the report, but I asked one of the officers about it and he admitted that KID seemed to be on edge after seeing them. I don't think he expected them to turn up so soon."

"You didn't mention the guy's name," Shinichi noted quietly, slowly recalling the thin file's contents.

Hakuba shook his head slowly. "Because it wasn't mentioned in the report either. The police never had any opportunity to question him. He never reached the station. While they were on their way, a tire suddenly burst and the car went out of control, driving right on tracks next to the road, under a passing train. The rear part was practically minced. There was nothing left of the prisoner to help with recognition of his identity and the DNA testing didn't help much either." He swallowed thickly.

Conan closed his eyes and sighed quietly. He recalled looking through the file. He didn't pay it much attention, as it provided very little information and thus wasn't as interesting as a few other cold and suspicious cases Hakuba gathered. Even the sole picture included in the file was actually just a strip cut out of a paper. An unexpected shot made by a random reporter, hoping to get an interesting story connected to KID. The file didn't have any pictures of the accident itself. Knowing Saguru however, there might have been some in the original and he just excluded them from his copy, after confirming that there wasn't anything suspicious about them. Or he just spared Shinichi from seeing them. It didn't matter much actually. As he remembered the case lasted a short while, before it was ruled out as a horrible accident.

He licked his lips, chasing the grim thoughts away, focusing back on the matter at hand. "Was there anything else you managed to find around this case?" There had to be more to it.

Saguru sighed, leaning on the backrest. "Nothing to really grab onto. Only rumors." That was a start, but from how he sounded it wasn't anything promising. "As I was digging around KID, I managed to overhear from a bitter and drunken officer that there were a few significant heists where Nakamori's plans weren't followed to the letter." The detective made a slight pause, swallowing. "Could be a coincidence, or KID's doing, of course." He snorted, bemused. "I'm pretty sure that some of them are in fact Kuroba's machinations. And unfortunately, I found nothing indicating that there was much out of the ordinary in any cases." Shinichi pursed his lips at the word 'much'. "But the fact is that when you look closer at it, at a very few heists, some escape routes that should have been normally covered weren't. The first and most notable case like that was the 'Blue Birthday' heist. After which KID focused nearly purely on stealing big gems."

Vaguely, he recalled Saguru telling him about the report regarding that particular heist. 'Blue Birthday' was suspicious even without it, since it was the breaking point. Shinichi suspected before that it was around that time Kuroba made contact with people who were hunting him. Only that he rather thought it had happened before it. He tightened his grip over his cell phone, wondering if either of the men shown on Kaito's boards were the ones he saw that day. Maybe it was the crossed out man?

"And let me guess…" Conan spoke up with a grim tone. "The last case like that was in January."

"Yes."

Kudo clicked his tongue. He didn't like what he heard obviously. But aside from the irrelevant details, it wasn't anything new really. When they started working together, Saguru did say that he suspected foul play influencing the police and later on shared vague evidence pointing at it. The problem was that all could be brushed off as coincidence, plain human error or the work of the kaitou. After all, when Shinichi met KID for the first time face to face, he heard him controlling the whole police squadron with ease of a skilled puppeteer.

"Why did you say that you think these guys were hunting the previous KID as well?" There was something in the Brit's tone that made Shinichi believe that there was something more to it than just mere suspicions. Or was it just him hoping that there was something more?

"Well, as you might have suspected, I managed to get my hands on a copy of the films made during Kuroba Toichi's last performance." Conan was a little surprised that Saguru never told him about it before, but didn't comment on it. There probably wasn't much to share in the first place. However, he didn't like the Brit's tone as he spoke.

"There were two particularly interesting cameras spared from the fire, recording from before the show started. Sadly, both of them left very poor quality footage. It's nearly impossible to make out the details with how grainy it was. One camera was set on the backstage. At some point, it showed a man dressed in dark clothes. All I could really tell was that he had a heavy body structure and very distinct facial hair, which with little good will could have resembled a horseshoe moustache, walking around there. After some time, he showed up again, with another person. Judging from the clothing, I'm pretty positive it was Kuroba Toichi. They were most likely talking when the man pointed at the audience. After a short while, from what I could tell, it seemed that Kuroba-san gave him a nod and the man left. Kuroba-san stood still there for a longer while, still seemingly staring at the audience. Sadly, it's impossible to recognize what expression he was making, or anything else for that matter."

Shinichi was nearly sure he knew where this was leading. But for once, he wanted to be wrong. "And the second camera was pointed at the audience, I assume?"

"Yes." Saguru sighed and cast a glance at the stairs, as if to make sure that nobody was listening to them. "With how grainy the record was, it really should have been harder for me to recognize anyone on the footage. But the seats reserved for family weren't far from the camera and it seems that even back then Kuroba had a pretty springy behavior," he added with a sad smile, before continuing. "He was in the company of what I guessed was Nakamori-keibu, Aoko and a woman who now I assume was Kuroba Chikage. Behind them was a man, dressed in dark overcoat. I have a few blurry close ups on him, but sadly he didn't have any recognizable features. With the quality as it was, I couldn't even define the age and I'm only assuming they were a male by the way the coat looked." He shrugged helplessly and Kudo wondered how many hours did Hakuba spend on watching the record over and over again. "At some point of the record, which I managed to align with the backstage footage, the stranger leaned over to Kuroba and picked him up. He seemed to have exchanged a few words with Nakamori-keibu, but didn't protest for too long. The woman wasn't there, as she left from her seat a while before and didn't return for a few minutes." He raised his gaze to meet Shinichi's gaze. "This is what I believe Kuroba Toichi saw, a few moments before his last performance. His only son in, what I can assume, hands of men gunning at him."

Conan sighed as well, having his suspicions more or less confirmed. He wasn't sure if he wanted to imagine what the original KID was going through at that moment. But even with how gruesome and grim everything Hakuba told him was, he was right… It was all a dead end.

It was no surprise that Saguru didn't bring it to his attention before. Aside from a horrible truth behind how Toichi's show got sabotaged, it didn't bring any revelations to what they already knew. The man who could have had the answers they needed was already dead. And from what Hakuba got, it seemed that he died without even KID being able to question him. They would have to ask Kuroba to confirm it, but without it, they had nothing to go on. Shinichi held back from chuckling grimly. A few months before, he would have never thought that a time would come when he would mentally curse Nakamori for stepping up his game and making things harder for the kaitou during his heists.

His gaze was lured up the stairs. The detectives could only hope that Kaito never saw the footages, or, if he did, that he somehow didn't notice the fatal moment captured there. Shinichi wondered grimly whether the magician remembered the 'nice man' who offered to lift him, so he could see the stage better. He doubted it. Even most the vivid memory had to be blurred out by nightmares that must have haunted the child who witnessed a gruesome tragedy. And even if he did, it was highly doubtful he knew what role he played in his father's murder. No matter how smart, the young boy shouldn't have been capable of making such a connection. Conan wondered, whether it was worth a shot to try and ask him to recall the man's face. It could be useful, but there was a chance that the bright magician would somehow combine the facts, if they pushed him. And despite his usual principles, Shinichi found himself hoping that Kaito would never discover the truth. Not when all it could bring was grief.

"I'd like to see those footages later on, if you don't mind…" he mumbled quietly. It wasn't like he didn't trust Saguru's skills, but there was always a chance that a fresh view could reveal something new. Anything.

"Of course…" the Brit replied, equally quietly, without any hesitance.

They both sat quietly there for a few more moments to compose themselves. Much later would come the time when they would try to search the police files in search of other men's faces, which Shinichi's photographed in KID's hideout. Conan wondered again about asking Kuroba about it, but he was still reluctant to admit that they broke the kaitou's trust. There was still the slim hope that he would show them the room and boards himself later on and as for now, they had a lot to question him about anyway. He decided to leave it be for a little longer, unless the topic surfaced naturally somehow.

As they tried to avert their thoughts from the grim topic, they faintly heard Heiji's laughter upstairs. Without a doubt, the magician did something to cause it. Shinichi pursed his lips hearing it, hoping that Kaito wouldn't end up walling up during the upcoming conversation.


	37. Stalling for time

Heiji closed his eyes, as he focused on swiping the card laying on his tight with his thumb. But he was disturbed by a muffled chuckle.

"Oi! Stop it, you ahou!" he growled, glaring at Kaito, who was laying in the bed, next to Heiji's chair.

The magician waved a hand at him. "Sorry~! But you are just so tense! It's not a bomb, you know. Relax and don't fear your audience! I won't bite you!" he added with a wide toothy grin as if to contradict his words.

"Che... I'm not afraid of you... or any type of audience for that matter," Heiji grumbled, trying to hold back his annoyance. He was a detective after all – he's done a ton of deduction shows.

He looked down at his hand while trying to shake the card out of his sleeve with one smooth movement, but it got stuck in the fabric again. It was definitely a lot harder than Kaito made it seem like.

"I've told you - you have to distract me from what you're doing, or you won't be able to fool me," Kaito continued softly with a friendly smile on his lips. "Guide me with your gaze away from what you don't want me to see. It is easier than doing it with your hands while performing a trick."

"Well, I can't look at you! You're the one distracting me if I do!" Heiji snapped and hastily looked away when he noticed a smirk on Kaito's lips. "And there's much point in it either. You know the trick through and through, so I won't be fooling you anyway," he pointed out with a pout.

It wasn't like he cared much about learning magic tricks in the first place anyway. The two of them were amusing themselves with conversation, but after Kudo left to let Hakuba in, Kuroba's focus dissipated. He was still witty and funny with his comments, so it took Heiji a little bit to notice that Kaito wasn't actually paying much attention to what was being said. Regretfully, it was only to be expected that he would figure out that the three of them met to question him. And it was no surprise to see him showing signs of worry about it. Heiji would have liked to ease his worries, but he figured that talking about it wouldn't really help. So he instead decided to find a way to distract him. It was actually quite easy to come up with an idea and initially, Hattori thought that it could turn out pretty fun.

"I do, but does that mean I can't appreciate it?" Kuroba asked softly and waved a hand over his lap, dropping a card of his own on it, luring the detective gaze with the movement. An ace of spades, Hattori noted absently. "You see, the very purpose of magic tricks is for them to be fun."

He moved his left hand over the card and it vanished, as expected. His movements were smooth and somehow hypnotizing. Heiji knew where to look but still found it hard not to follow the Kaito's eyes and distracting gestures.

"But not only for the audience." Kaito showed both of his palms, proving them to be empty, despite not having long sleeves. "First and foremost you have to enjoy yourself. This way you'll make it more fun for those who watch you~"

He flicked his wrists, and a card turned backwards appeared in his right palm. He took it between two fingers of his left and revealed it to be a joker. He turned it for a moment towards himself, blew at it and turned it back while grinning widely. The jester image was now replaced by a KID doddle.

Heiji couldn't help it and chuckled with amusement. "Show off~ That's not even the trick you were supposed to be teaching me~!"

Obviously enough, the thing Kaito loved the most was magic. So all it took for Hattori was to recall a seemingly easy card trick and ask him to teach him how to do it. He kind of expected Kuroba to require some convincing, but he was pleased to notice that the request immediately brought Kaito's full attention and he didn't really hesitate to teach the detective a little of his art. Heiji relayed his assumptions of how the trick could be made, but he was lacking a few details, which in theorizing weren't important at all. This is how with only a little teasing, Kuroba ended up patiently tutoring Hattori through proper hand motion, both to manage the trick and to divert attention from doing it.

Kaito winked and parted his fingers, with which he was holding the card, revealing another underneath – as expected, the ace of spades. "No~ I just enjoy improvising. But it did make you laugh, so I would call it a success~"

Heiji didn't hold back himself anymore and laughed openly, with Kuroba echoing it with a quiet chuckle of his own. Kaito started shuffling the three cards, adding a few additional cards with each shuffle, seemingly out of nowhere, until he was toying with a whole deck. Heiji sighed quietly and returned to his practice, trying not to get annoyed with how pale his skills were in comparison.

"Pumpkins…" Kaito whispered, breaking the silence.

Hattori stopped what he was doing and raised an eyebrow at the teen. "Huh?"

Kuroba looked up to him and he explained with a soft smile. "If the audience bothers you too much, just imagine them as pumpkins in a garden. You can't avoid their staring, so use your courage to confront them~" His expression seemed a little nostalgic and he turned his attention back to the cards in his hands, humming quietly a melody Heiji was familiar with but couldn't quite remember where he heard it before.

It seemed as if Kaito echoed his own words. Hattori wanted to ask about it at first but thought against it. It wasn't important after all and he wasn't sure whether Kuroba was fully aware of the expression he was making. So instead, he hummed, accepting the tip and returned to his practice, cherishing the comfortable and honest atmosphere between the two of them.

After a short while, Hattori smirked, as he finally managed to slip the card out of his sleeve with one smooth move. He looked at Kaito, who without looking back showed a genuine smile of his own. The moment didn't last, however, as Kuroba turned towards the door, his smile shifted to his usual smirk. Hattori turned as well and noticed their two friends standing still in the doorway, staring at him and the card, which he just managed to slip out.

Conan's hand was still on the handle, as he was the one to open the door for Saguru, who was carrying a tray with plates on it. Both of the detectives seemed frozen in surprise. However, after a moment passed, Shinichi snorted and shook his head at the sight, while stepping aside to let Saguru in. Hakuba on the other hand, much to Hattori's surprise, lowered his gaze and his lips twisted in a bittersweet expression. Holding back a frown, Heiji stood up to help him set down the tray somewhere.

* * *

Saguru had to admit that he was stunned. Why had it never occurred to him to ask Kaito to teach him a magic trick? He struggled so much to find a common topic, despite that the answer should have been so obvious. He couldn't help but feel disappointed with himself before he noticed Kuroba's slightly annoyed gaze set on him. Hakuba wasn't sure whether it was about their previous argument, or that Kaito reacted to his mood again, but he didn't get to ask about it because Shinichi spoke up.

"And I was wondering what the two of you were up to since it has gotten so quiet. Don't tell me that now we will have to deal with two magicians from now on~?" He chuckled and stepped aside to make space for Saguru.

Hakuba held back his smirk, as he noticed him hiding the present behind his back.

Kaito grinned at him. "An interesting idea, Meitantei~ We'll have to consider it, ne~?" He added with a quick wink at Heiji, before frowning as his gaze trailed to the tray. "But what's up with the food? Can't we eat at the table downstairs, like normal people?"

Hattori chuckled while busying himself with making enough space on the small dresser. "Since when you do anything like normal people~?"

Hakuba snorted while setting down the plates. "Besides that, I believe that Haibara-san," he ignored Kaito's choked laugh at the name, "asked you to not leave the bed unless necessary."

Kuroba rolled his eyes. "More like she tried to threaten me, which makes it a challenge~!" he corrected Saguru with mirth dancing in his eyes, only to blink with surprise at a neatly packed gift Conan laid on the bed beside him. "And what's this?" He looked at Shinichi as if expecting to read an answer from his gaze. "I know you're a fan of mine, but there's no need to spoil me with presents, I assure you~"

Conan's eyebrow twitched. "As if I was a fan of yours, barou… It's a birthday gift. I never had a chance to give it to you, so here you go." He paused and added a little awkwardly. "Happy birthday, I guess."

Kaito's eyes widened slightly at the first part and he slowly put the card deck away, without even attempting to make it vanish. However, he hastily recovered and beamed at Conan after hearing the clumsy wishes. "Thank you~ I appreciate it." He looked down at the package and started unwrapping it, careful to not tear the paper.

The two teenage detectives stood by the dresser, curiously waiting for his reaction. Despite the distance, Hakuba didn't miss the tiny sight of strain in Kaito's eyes when Shinichi replied to him. He wondered what caused it. However, he didn't get to dwell on it for long, as Kuroba managed to unravel the gift and laughed at the sight picking up the box.

"Oh~! How thoughtful of you! Now I can make my own jewels~! This will save me so much time! Thank you!"

Both Hattori and Hakuba chuckled at the over the top reaction. It wasn't quite what they expected to see when Shinichi first told them that he intended to give the kaitou a gem-growing kit, but it's not like anyone could have predicted back then that they would be done with KID's masquerade by the time Kaito received it.

"You're welcome. Just don't even think about using this stuff on us," Conan warned him with a slightly annoyed tone, but couldn't really hide his smile.

Seeing how interested Kuroba looked while carefully examining the label on a vial with chemicals from the crystal growing kit made it obvious that supplying a very bored prankster with things like that might not have been the best idea out there. And Saguru was the one to be left alone with him again...? Oh dear…

"Huh?" Kaito crooked his head. "Why would I want to do something like this?" Thankfully for him, he switched the oblivious expression fast for his usual smirk and waved a hand. "No worries, I wouldn't anyway. This stuff would hurt skin if it came in contact with it. Not sure about the hair, but it's not worth the risk."

Hakuba sighed internally and nudged Hattori, glancing at the plates. The other raised an eyebrow at him but apparently managed to understand his intent. That was good enough. The food was already getting cold, so they should probably eat it, but Saguru didn't really want to be the one to try and convince Kaito about it. Also, he was curious about how Heiji would manage this.

"Can't be too safe around you," Hattori cut in with an amused smirk on his lips and walked over with two plates, offering one to Kuroba.

Shinichi took the cue to leave the side of the bed and take his own plate. Saguru in the meanwhile sat down on a chair, silently observing the exchange between the two of them. Conan took his own plate and sat on the other chair beside him.

Kaito grinned back, taking the offered plate. "Don't tell me that I scare you, oh Great Detective of the West~"

"Ha! You wish! I'm gonna give you a run for your money once you've recovered enough~"

The spark in Kaito's eyes that these words ignited made Shinichi chuckle wearily and Saguru wonder about Heiji's sanity. They definitely had to remember to keep a safe distance from those two when the time came.

At the very least, the meal went without any awkwardness. Hattori and Kuroba kept throwing teases and obviously empty threats at each other, in between munching on the stew. Meanwhile, Kudo and Hakuba ate their portions in remote silence, choosing to add a comment or two to the ongoing argument only once or twice.

It almost felt like a pity to ruin the mood, but Saguru was pretty sure that those two could go on like this endlessly, given the chance. Both him and Shinichi finished eating a while ago but didn't try to interrupt the new argument, until it became clear that neither of them was interested in the food anymore. Once they exhausted their current topic, which left Heiji glaring at grinning Kaito, Conan tried to cut in.

"Glad you managed to settle this-"

"Like hell we did!" Heiji snapped, apparently somehow figuring that his best friend decided to betray him and support the annoyance in front of him. "There's no way I'll ever agree that okonomiyaki from Hiroshima is better than the one from Osaka!"

Shinichi rubbed his temples while Saguru had a very hard time to hold back a chuckle and looked away, unable to hold a steady expression.

"Oh come on! Anyone who has more than two active brain cells will tell you that mixing all ingredients before cooking won't let you appreciate separate flavors enough!" Kaito waved a hand dismissing the issue. "That is unless you cook with poor quality ingredients. I guess then it would be a good choice..."

"Are you implying that we save on the quality of food in Osaka?!"

Conan let out a groan, but apparently, only Hakuba heard him over Hattori's rage. There was really no point trying to stop it now that the argument got reignited unless Shinichi wanted to hurt or drug either of the two idiots. Thankfully it didn't seem to be his intention, as he just settled with covering his face with his palms, waiting for the storm to pass. Hakuba felt sorry for him, so he patted his shoulder gently and gave him a consoling smile.

Unfortunately, asking Kaito to just agree with Heiji resulted somehow in supplying him with more arguments against Osakan cuisine. Fearing for the well-being of their eardrums, Kudo and Hakuba decided to take refuge in the kitchen, leaving under the pretext of washing the dishes. Not that it seemed to matter to the other two anyway. It was possible that they didn't notice them leaving. The two detectives took their time and prepared themselves iced tea and coffee, and managed to finish their drinks while waiting for the quarrel to subside.

At some point, they heard Heiji's surprised shout and then a rise in his accusations' volume. Neither Shinichi nor Saguru paid it much attention though, already half expecting something like that and figuring that Hattori somehow managed to cross the line and got punished for it.

Clearly enough, Kaito wasn't going to let anything flow out naturally, so it was up to them to steer the conversation towards the course they needed it to go. They just needed to avoid allowing the magician to distract them, which they were nearly sure he was doing now deliberately. Easier said than done. Oh well… The two of them calmly washed their cups, before walking back.


End file.
